What are you?

If you are not Caucasian, what are you? Hispanic or Latino? Black or African American? Japanese or Asian? Are you a person of color? Does it matter?

As a company that deals with communication across countries and cultures, this question comes up often and using “correct” terminology can be quite a struggle.

Recently we translated a brochure for a company into several languages, one of which was Japanese. The photo on the front contained a handsome Asian man. Upon final review our Japanese translator rejected the brochure based on the cover photo and suggested we instead picture a Caucasian American male. She said people from Japan do not consider themselves to be Asian.

I find this interesting.

How do Americans view themselves? If you are American but born of Costa Rican descent, how do you identify yourself? Do you distinguish yourself as Costa Rican or American? Do you consider yourself to be Latino? Which self-identity is stronger: that of your heritage or of the country you live in?

Clearly this is a personal preference which will keep communications professionals on their toes for a very long time. In one breath, a person can be Black, African-American, a person of color and American. That is the beauty of living in a Global Age. You can be whatever you want to be.

Adonde vas tu? Or Adonde tu vas?

Language is an organic, ever-changing phenomenon reflected by its speakers. Documenting the linguistic diversity found in 400 million Spanish speakers is no easy feat, but yesterday, the Spanish Royal Academy presented its 4,000 page best shot.

Titled, Nueva Gramática de la Lengua Española, it attempts to account for variances in Spanish throughout the world and is billed as a "map" of the Spanish language. The surprising revelation in the Academy's work is acknowledging the influence Latin America has had on the language. It looks at how vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar change between countries and within social classes. While the Academy makes recommendations for “proper” Spanish, it recognizes localization and the influence of new words, positioning its purpose as one to “observe and document.”

Thus continues the struggle communicators and marketers have in creating a single set of Spanish documents. Spanish is highly localized. The less technical a communication is, the more localized it becomes. In fact, the Academy acknowledges there are more than 20 acceptable ways to say "Ball Point Pen."

In market research, patient education and patient recruitment, the possibility of alienating the reader is not resolved by the issuance of the Academy's work. While the work is interesting and important, the daily work of the Spanish translator goes on. Who is my audience? Where do they live and what is their social class? How can I reach them best?

Should Crowdsourcing Be In Your Mix?

Crowdsourcing: Jeff Howe coined the term and wrote the book; many companies are buying into the idea. Wikipedia defines it as "the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people, in the form of an open call.”

To use the collective intelligence of many to do the work of a specialized few is good in theory. When it saves companies money, all the better, right? If you have a large, diverse group of qualified people, the knowledge of the crowd is a useful resource.

Is crowdsourcing the answer to the growing need for translations?

Crowdsourcing translation work for free has gotten a lot of press lately. No longer are non-profit companies requesting help on the cheap, companies are using free labor for profit. Internet sites like Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn all crowdsource translations and the industry seems to embrace it.

According to Howe, “[i]f there is one industry where crowdsourcing can turn things upside down, it is the translation industry.” Based solely on supply and demand, Howe claims the few hundred thousand translators existing worldwide are not enough to meet the growing need.

What about quality? In general, good professional translators will not work for free. If they do, it is for passion or prestige. Translating is laborious and intensive work. A good translation is not something the majority of native speakers of any language can produce. It is kind of like saying all English speakers are great English writers.

Ultimately, there is a place for crowdsourcing in the mix of human and machine translation but it is not the solution for everyone. It is not a good option for companies concerned about their brand, or in the highly-technical medical or legal fields where precision is unyieldingly required and confidentiality would preclude dumping out content to the masses.

Companies need to consider which solution will yield the best and most cost effective results and plan accordingly. Where quality is less important than cost, and where deadlines are unimportant, crowdsourcing translation projects is effective, but the reality is, you get what you pay for.

DUR 2T YR RX?

Reaching a global patient means more than just speaking their native language. You have to know HOW to reach them too.

What is the one thing you rarely see a teenager without?

That’s right: their cell phone.

It rings and bings constantly as text messages, Tweets and Facebook posts stream in.

If they happen to be one of the 186,300 people under the age of 20 who have diabetes, why not put that attachment to good use?

Historically, healthcare professionals have struggled to gain teen compliance, with little success; however, a recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests texting may be the way to make it happen.

Researchers used a program to send text messages to young liver transplant patients reminding them to take their medications. The results were “with text messaging, patients were more likely to take their medications than they had been before.”

Let’s apply this lesson. Whether you communicate in English, Spanish or Mandarin, the message is only effective if it reaches the intended target.

DUR 2T YR RX?
(Did you remember to take your medication?)

Help Recruit the Rarest Patient

Half of all clinical trial delays are a result of patient recruitment problems. Imagine the struggle faced by researchers of rare diseases. In addition to the normal recruitment problems, as well as the standard 20-30% post enrollment dropout rate, they are working with very limited patient populations.

To get viable results for rare disease studies you need adequate participation. The problem is people receiving Supplemental Social Security income are not allowed by US law to accept compensation for research. Doing so makes them ineligible to receive government medical benefits and prevents them from participating in clinical studies. Take that limited pool of participants and make it smaller. Now find a cure. Good luck.

As of the end of September, over 100 patient, academic and industry organizations have joined to support legislation that enables individuals with rare diseases to participate in clinical trials without losing their eligibility for government assisted healthcare benefits. Some of these include the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Johns Hopkins Hospital, the National Health Council, PhRMA and the Yale University Medical College.

According to Robert Beall, PhD., President and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, “Clinical trials are critical for developing effective therapies for cystic fibrosis and dozens of other rare diseases. Quick passage of this bill by Congress will support life-saving research for many people in need.” (Medical News Today 9/29/09)

The bill was introduced into the Senate September 16th and is called “The Improving Access to Clinical Trials Act.”

“This bill allows patients with a rare disease to disregard up to $2,000 of compensation received for participation in a clinical trial in their SSI and Medicaid income calculations,” said Senator Inhofe. “Though it will have a negligible impact on the federal budget, it will make a dramatic difference in the lives of those who will gain access to potentially life-saving treatments by enrolling in clinical trials as well as all those in the future whose lives will be improved by the medical advances that arise from this research.”

Over 30 million Americans are afflicted with one of the roughly 700 existing rare diseases and it is estimated two new pathologies are described every week in medical publications.

To track the current status of this bill, please click here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2866

Please feel free to let your elected House and Senate representatives know you support this bill. Their contact information can be found here: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
You can even Tweet your support!