About Advocating Global
We write and invite experts to write in about global communication topics in healthcare, corporate communications and marketing, as well as best practices in localization and process management.
Aimed at supporting and building globally competent communication professionals with insight into the global communication strategies that lead to desired behavior and positive end-user outcomes.
Our topics may vary, but our focus is always on the advocacy for the communication professional; to empower them with the tools and best practices to be a global leader and make a difference….one communication by one communication.
Patient Education Healthcare Translation
The costs of patient education healthcare translation may seem high, but the costs of neglecting to provide this resource are likely to be even higher. And arguably more importantly, the benefits of patient education healthcare translation can easily outweigh the...
Eliminating Pain Points in Translation by Starting at the Source
In this post we're going to interpret the adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” as "starting at the source can help eliminate pain points in translation." Preparing content for translation can prevent delays, additional costs and version dilution,...
What’s Culture Got to Do with It?
You may have heard people say that "karma's a b!+c#," but have you ever heard anyone describe karma in the context of cultural beliefs affecting healthcare outcomes? In our last blog post, we explored the effects of making, or not making, healthcare communications in...
Language Access and Limited English Proficiency Speakers
The importance of providing language access to LEP speakers via translated materials, information on one’s language rights, and quality interpreting cannot be overstated.
The ABCs of Localization
The ABCs of Localization Is it too on the nose to talk about the ABCs of localization? Maybe, but it's good shorthand for building up the basics - and ties it in to language, which is the matter at hand. Often, when talking to people from outside of the industry, I am...
Professional Interpreters
Many people grow up loving language and wanting to become a professional interpreter. Interpreting as a profession is heralded by a few modern conventions: (1) neutrality, (2) confidentiality, and (3) competence.
Why are Burmese Fonts so Problematic?
Burmese Fonts Burmese fonts can be confusing – not only is the script complex, but not all fonts are compatible with each other. Why is that? In this blog, we will discuss the history of the digital Burmese script and why its complicated path from paper to screen has...
Machine Translation
Machine Translation: What is it? What is machine translation? Machine translation (MT) refers to automatic translation done by a computational engine, or program, which produces “complete” output in the target language based on source language input. It can be...
Machine Translation and Confidentiality
Machine Translation and Confidentiality Machine translation and confidentiality: not a problem often discussed. Once text is typed into a translation engine, such as Babylon, Google Translate or Bing, who owns the translation? When working with a language service...
Cross-Cultural Communication
When thinking about cross-cultural communication it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking in stereotypes. Research has shown that – although there are differences between cultures – they are not so straightforward. The three most salient dimensions for studying cross-cultural communication are: power distance, individualism/collectivism, and level of context.