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Drug Label Translation Service Expanding
Fort Worth Star-Telegram - October 5, 2003
Misreading prescription labels can be a fatal mistake. For those who don't speak English, the chances of a tragic misunderstanding are multiplied.
To a Spanish-speaking person, for instance, a label that says "Take once a day" could be dangerously misinterpreted because "once" is Spanish for 11.
According to a recent study by TransPerfect Translations, a translation company, nearly 10 percent of children have been given medication incorrectly because of translation problems. In a survey of 529 people who speak English as a second language, 28 percent said they have guessed at the proper dosage of a prescription because they were unsure of the instructions.
Since last year, Walgreen Drug Stores have provided prescription-label translations in Spanish, Chinese, French, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Vietnamese. Now Walgreens is adding German, Italian and Tagalog (for Filipinos).
After the pharmacist enters the prescription directions in English into the computer system, software developed by Walgreens translates the instructions and prints the label.
—Aman Batheja
About TransPerfect
TransPerfect is a diversified family of companies providing a full array of international communication services in 22 offices worldwide, including document management, translation, and staffing solutions. TransPerfect is ISO 9001:2000 certified which means it has implemented the most rigorous quality assurance process, according to criteria set forth by the International Organization for Standardization. The wide range of services it provides includes imaging, reprographic services, electronic data discovery, multilingual OCR, electronic labeling, coding, on-site imaging and copying, as well as staffing, and a full suite of translation and interpretation solutions. Headquarters are in New York City. |
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