Source: Business Wire
California is considering provisions that would require pharmacies to provide meaningful assistance to consumers with limited-English proficiency. Healthcare providers nationwide will be paying attention, because often what starts as a California legislative requirement ends up as a federal mandate.
According to California Senate Bill 1390, approximately 46% of American adults cannot understand the label on their prescription drugs. In June, the bill was amended in the Assembly to require that certain phrases on a prescription drug label be translated into non-English languages. The bill also would require a pharmacy to provide non-English patients with any other written information relevant to the prescription drug in the patient’s language.
Below some of the most common issues that make translations inaccurate, putting healthcare providers at risk of dangerous miscommunication are outlined:
- Representation of numbers and dates – commas and decimal points have different meanings for different language groups.
- A misleading use of color as shorthand – whereas red might immediately signify danger or caution to North American English speakers, for others it means celebration, good luck and happiness.
- Literary and education levels – often the source material being translated is written at a level that’s too high for the target audience.
- Cultural and religious sensitivities – using anatomical terms that are offensive to the target audience might diminish the ability of the consumer to understand the translated material.
- Poor source text – often, the source document contains typos or inaccurate punctuation that alter the meaning of a sentence.
The complete story is available at Business Wire
