The global COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the life sciences industry for the past three years. While this industry has always worked on a worldwide scale, companies have been reminded of their global operations, emphasizing investing in translation and localization to clearly and accurately communicate with their global stakeholders.
Translation and localization are deeply integrated within the life sciences industry, simply due to the sheer breadth of these organizations. This includes the translation of regulatory paperwork, Instruction for Use (IFUs), package labeling, marketing materials, and more.
As 2023 ushers in a new year, staying up-to-date on life science translation trends is important when ensuring the highest quality localization results possible. Here are some of our thoughts on how we think the industry will evolve and adapt in the upcoming year.
An Increased Rise in Neural Machine Translation and Computer-Assisted Translation Tools
Machine translation has grown in popularity over the years, and isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon! Every year, natural language processing becomes more sophisticated, working to bridge the gap between the quality of localization done by human linguists and the productivity achieved by using machines to completely automate translated content.
Translation software like NLP and CAT tools provide multiple additional benefits to LSPs such as providing faster translation turnaround times, streamlining translation projects, and helping to collaborate with in-house teams and external project members.
A survey from ProZ emphasizes the importance of CAT tools in a linguist's daily workflow, reporting that 88% of full-time translators use at least 1 CAT tool, with 76% utilizing more than one. Plus, the global machine translation market was valued at 650 million in 2020 and is expected to reach 3 billion by 2027, creating plentiful opportunities for the life science industry in the years to come.
A Growing Need for Language Interpreting Services
A wide amount of medical practices have gone predominately virtual within the past three years, requiring interpreting services for their multilingual patients. As a result, we’ve seen a rise in Video Remote Interpreting Technology, which allows medical professionals to provide solutions when on-site and phone interpreting aren’t ideal.
Medical interpretation and VRI can provide the following benefits:
The incorporation of contextual and non-verbal clues,
More fluid conversations between the medical provider and the patient(s),
On-demand access
VRI is just another example of emerging translation technology that is set to positively impact the life science translation industry in 2023.
An Expansion in Medical Marketing Material Translation
Globalization has allowed brands to enter new international markets with ease, more than ever before. This means medical marketing translation will grow as well - after all, these life science organizations will need to translate and localize their marketing content to be culturally accurate and relevant to their new markets.
Medical marketing translation poses a challenge simply because marketing material is very nuanced and personalized. Marketing language is meant to be completely customized to suit the target market’s needs, which can be difficult if you are translating one language into multiple. That’s where Language Intelligence comes in; we only utilize linguists with demonstrated experience in the medical marketing field to work on your project. This means you can rest assured that your life science translations are of the highest quality, every time.
We look forward to seeing where 2023 brings the life science translation industry. If you’re interested in learning more, get in touch with us today, and let’s set up a call.