Medical jargon is complex and confusing enough that many patients often leave their doctor’s office wondering, “What did she just say?”
Imagine the added anxiety if the patient doesn’t speak English.
Census figures show that the number of people who speak a language other than English in the United States has reached an all-time high of about 62 million—that means one in five U.S. residents now speaks a foreign language at home.
These changing demographics have placed an additional burden on hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, mental health agencies and related public health organizations. As the number of non-English speakers seeking health care in the United States has grown, so has the need for medical interpreters and translators. State and federal laws as well as new industry standards are also driving up the demand for more health care language support services.
More businesses than ever are branching out into multilingual communications as a way to expand their customer base. So the question these days is not so much “Should we translate?” as it is “How should we translate?” The answer is an important one.
After deciding it’s time to target a more global audience, the next step is to determine whether to use internal staff to handle the work or partner with an outside language service provider (LSP). There’s certainly a cost either way, and any budget-conscious business leader should factor that into their analysis. But there are also many other pieces that go into creating and maintaining a successful translation program. That’s why any results-oriented business leader should weigh the pros and cons of both sides.
We put together some things to consider when deliberating the question: in-house translators or outside translation partner?
Decision, decisions: is it time to employ translation services to grow your business?
For sure, it’s a weighty question. Many leaders at the helm of private businesses and non-profit organizations alike have either not considered using translation services or don’t believe they could benefit from them. The reasons vary widely:
- My customers aren’t located outside the country anyway
- It’s too cumbersome to manage
- It’s too expensive and time-consuming
- I don’t have anything that needs translated
- Software translation tools will suffice
- I have more pressing company needs to focus on
We realize it can seem a little intimidating or overwhelming to think about communicating with people from all around the world. But the beauty of the Internet, social media and shifting demographics means your “international” customers are right in front of you, either physically as Limited English Proficient (LEP) customers here in the U.S. or electronically as someone located on the other side of the globe. You just have to talk to them.
At ASIST Translation Services, we mix the skills, experience and versatility of human translators with advanced technology to provide the best translation experience possible, both in terms of cost and consistent quality.
One of our technology applications is our Translation Memory tool, or TM for short. TM uses a database of client-specific, pre-translated phrases that can easily be used in new or recurring translation projects. The end result for clients is better quality, consistency and efficiency, all at a lower cost.
Here’s how it works.
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