Speaking your Language

Companies in the life sciences sector need to operate across borders, with all the challenges of international competition, reputation management and networked development that implies. The success of these companies depends not only on their efficiency and innovative power, but also on their ability to forge a strong multilingual communication architecture. Finding the right partner to help meet these challenges is paramount.

The increasingly complex and diverse nature of the life sciences business means that, in today’s environment, the demands placed on language service providers are greater than ever before. Never has it been so important to get a message across rapidly, effectively and in a way that addresses specific target groups and cultures. It is vital to have the support of a professional and dependable partner who is not only fluent in the language of communication, but also fully conversant with the technical terminology and specialised processes of the industry and sector-specific developments. These are the demands that translation companies face in today’s complex world, meeting these challenges with customised, high-tech, secure solutions. The advent of online and electronic tools and resources has transformed capabilities beyond recognition, enabling the multilingual professional to deliver the uncompromising quality and flexibility of service required.

COMMUNICATING ACROSS BOUNDARIES

As companies expand geographically, they are confronted with all the associated problems of language barriers and crossborder production and sales. Depending on the specific requirements of a business, a multilingual strategy may be essential. Just consider, for instance, labelling regulations that require package inserts and summaries of product characteristics to be translated into all EU member state languages. Despite the prevalence of English as a corporate language, it is still important to accommodate the language requirements of the local market in order to avoid misunderstandings and give products a ‘home flavour’. What’s more, in an age of increasing competition and ease of access to information, a sophisticated approach to global communications is often a major asset. For a biopharmaceutical company, writing, translating and terminology management may not be core activities, but they are for language service providers with highly qualified teams of professional writers and linguistic specialists. It could, therefore, be worth considering outsourcing corporate communication processes. The flexibility of costs and volume capacity can be increased by working with providers that offer an integrated communication production chain spanning copywriting, proofreading, translation and terminology, right through to design and layout.