According to a report published by Statista, India is the world’s largest provider of generic drugs, and in the financial year 2024, the country exported pharmaceuticals worth about 16 billion U.S. dollars. In terms of volume, Indian drugs comprised 20 percent of the global generic drug exports.
I want you to recall the COVID-19 phase when India’s export market in the medicine industry was booming. Demand was higher than ever, and the need was met outstandingly. During the pandemic, rapid localization of the testing kit manuals, treatment guidelines, and health awareness messages played a significant role in containing the spread of the virus and supporting healthcare efforts globally.
From Accurate Medical Translation Services for clinical documents, healthcare reports, patient forms, and medical device manuals, to medical interpretation, localization of medical services caters to various needs and opens many possibilities.
Need for Localization in the Pharma sector:
- Manifold Regulatory Standards: Diverse regions have diverse regulatory frameworks governing the approval and usage of medicated devices and pharmacies. Translating them in a language the locals understand ensures compliance with the standards, facilitating market entry, product acceptance, and targeting solutions. For example, you bought a sphygmomanometer, which is a device that measures blood pressure, for your grandmother. She is facing problems and thinks to use the device to check if her BP is in control. Now, you aren’t home and the instructions on the user manual are written in German, French, and English. In a situation like this, Localizing Medical Devices can help solve this problem and render the services it was made for.
- Patient’s Safety: All arrangements in the medicine sector whether it be related to drugs or medical devices need to be accurately translated because the inmate’s safety is of the highest priority. Accurate translation of instructions and warnings is essential for any case. By converting the language of these instructions and manuals in a medium that they will understand, the risk of adverse events will be reduced, and they will heal better by following all the instructions precisely.The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that medication errors affect approximately 10% of patients worldwide accurate translations of medical content will help in mitigating these errors and safeguarding the person’s well-being.
- Cultural Sensitivities: Dialect, cultural norms, and societal beliefs differ from region to region. When translating a certain product according to that local region, the purpose of addressing these nuances and building the trust of users in the products is served.According to research by Common Sense Advisory, it was found out that 75% of consumers are more likely to buy products in their native speech. Localizing ensures that medical instructions, labeling, and promotion materials resonate with the local cultures, encouraging user acceptance and adherence.
- Market Expansion: To penetrate newer markets and tap the consumer potential company must adapt its products to regional preferences and requirements localizing will enable it to broaden its reach and maximize market potential.According to Global Pharma Industry Statistics- Gitnux, the prescription drug market globally is expected to reach dollar 1.26 trillion by 2024 and by 2025 the Pharma exports of India are expected to reach dollar 20 billion.
Importance of Localization Services
- Enhances Accessibility: According to the World Bank, over three billion people worldwide lack access to essential health care, often due to linguistic shortcomings. Solving this problem entails the pathway for transforming health care and empowering people to make informed health-related decisions. This inclusivity improves the outcomes and promotes equitable healthcare access globally.
- Overcomes Regulatory Complexities: According to the Emergo Group, the global medical device market faces over 20,000 different regulations with each region having its own set of requirements. Transcripting locally, streamlines compliance efforts and reduces time-to-market and regulation hurdles. Translation Services for the Pharmaceutical Industry help overcome regulatory complexities.
- Builds Trust: Research findings show that consumers happen to appreciate product information in their linguistic preferences, more than the price. Translating information locally builds trust by ensuring clear communication, and this enhances credibility.
- Compliance Efficiency: The healthcare industry operates in a highly regulated environment where accuracy in the translation of labeling, packaging, and patient information leaflets is a legal requirement. Failure to comply with these standards can lead to product recalls, fines, and reputational damage. The Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS) reports that 84% of medical device companies view regulatory compliance as their top challenge. They face problems like rejections, reducing costs, delays, and non-compliance penalties.
- Training Guide: According to research by Zendesk, converting training materials and enhancing customer support in a local speech leads to a 50% increase in user satisfaction. This results in improved product understanding, higher adoption rates, and reduced costs.
- Patient-Centric-Approach: Medical translation goes beyond compliance of rules, reflecting a commitment to patient-centric care by providing clear and accessible information. By providing understandable material in the case’s native speech, companies can empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health and design a patient-centric approach for diagnosing them.
- Medical Device Translation Services: There are many Expert Translation Service providers in the market like Somya translators who render excellent services in the translations of equipment, procedures, documents manuals etc. Device translation is a bonus and a prerequisite for the pharmaceutical industry, and it also boosts market expansion opportunity for companies with excellent product and service.
Also Read: How To Improve Localization Skills – Unveiling Major Localization Traits
Impact on Healthcare Innovation
- Accelerates Adoption: Efficient translation expedites the adoption of innovative medical technologies and treatments worldwide driving advancements in patient care and clinical outcomes.
- Encourages Global Collaboration: Translating materials according to local preferences directly fosters global collaboration among healthcare professionals, researchers and organizations across the globe facilitating knowledge sharing and innovation.
- Supports Clinical Trials: Localized documentation and communication essentials are important for recruiting participants and conducting clinical trials in diverse geographical territories. This enables the collection and diffusion of robust data and provides insights for evidence-based decision-making.
Research conducted by the Tufts Centre for the Study of Drug Development (CSDD) shows that translation of clinical trial materials reduces recruitment time by up to 30% leading to faster trial completion and accelerated regulatory approval. - Addresses Public Health Challenges: All services related to this industry function at the core of addressing public health challenges. Localizing communication plays an important role in disseminating information during public health crises such as pandemics and natural disasters to mitigate risks and safeguard lives.
- Facilitates Collaboration: According to the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), collaborative research effects efforts are essential for advancing the health care innovation it fosters global collaboration by solving the problem of language restrictions and aids knowledge exchange.
Conclusion
Robust localization strategies and investment in medical translation expertise can transcend borders and overcome communication gaps in the healthcare industry, ultimately improving health outcomes for individuals globally. Translations in this field concerning every bit from equipment to medicine packets can foster improvement and target Patient-Specific-Approach.
We at Somya Translators deliver confidence in any source to target languages. Our language translators are selected according to their Professional Translation Services skills in areas such as technical translation, medical translation- requiring in-depth knowledge of industry lexicon – marketing translation, Financial Translation Services and legal translation.