What happens when a good intention- combined with a regulatory requirement- is addressed with the easy and cheap solution? This is what some pharmacies are doing by using automated computer programs to translate their labels and prescriptions into Spanish. Saving some money on the up-front could potentially turn into a costly law suit and life-threatening translation!
A recent article published by HealthDay News (http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/637694.html) reports that many Spanish-speaking people in the United States receive prescription instructions from the pharmacy so poorly translated that the medications are potentially hazardous to their health Some examples quoted mention catastrophic mistakes like the word “once” , which means “eleven” in Spanish used wrong. “You mean to say ‘once,’ as in ‘take once a day,’ and a Spanish-speaking person could interpret that to mean ‘eleven,’ Such a mistake could result in an overdose, and computer translators are not catching those nuances.
Poor translations specifically cited in the study included:
•”Take 1.2 aldia give dropperfuls with juice eleven to day.”
•”Taking 0.6 mL 2 times to the day by the little with juice.”
•”Apply to affected area twice to the indicated day like.”
Even a perfectly bilingual patient is confused when reading this! So, while we commend healthcare companies for wanting to provide information in language, please take the time, due-diligence and proper time to assess and evaluate your process, partners and linguistic skill set before jumping into a cheap and convenient language solution.
Need a transcreation, hire an expert and do your homework to prevent costly consequences in the long-run. Ultimate, it turns into a winning proposition for both provider and consumer.
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