The pharmaceutical industry operates in a highly regulated environment where accuracy in communication is imperative. Miscommunication can generate serious health risks and regulatory non-compliance. Multilingualism is a superpower that significantly enhances the industry’s ability to function safely and effectively due to the United States’ multilingual and multicultural society. Clear communication is critical in every department in the pharmaceutical sector, from research and development to clinical trials and market distribution. “Compliance within the pharmaceutical industry is an essential aspect of conducting business, ensuring the safety of consumers and avoiding the unlawful promotion and distribution of drugs,” (Nandwana).

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Ensure Safety and Compliance with Bilingual Employees

For a global pharmaceutical company conducting clinical trials in multiple countries, the ability to communicate effectively with participants in their native language is key in obtaining accurate data and ensuring participant safety. Proficiency in two or more languages is crucial for meeting updated standards and regulations, avoiding fines, and safeguarding patient health. Regulatory bodies often require accurate translations for documentation, such as patient consent forms and safety reports.

Consider a scenario involving a clinical trial conducted in Latin America by a leading pharmaceutical company. The trial aimed to test a new drug on a diverse population. Due to language barriers between the English-speaking research team and Spanish-speaking participants, the initial phases faced significant challenges. Misunderstandings about trial protocols resulted in incomplete data collection and potential safety issues.

To address this, the company temporarily halted the clinical trial and implemented a rigorous language proficiency assessment program with a reliable language testing provider. The linguistic strengths of bilingual staff members were identified, and key roles were assigned based on the assessment’s findings. As a result, the trial proceeded smoothly, data integrity was maintained, compliance was safeguarded, and participant safety was ensured.

Assess Your Employees’ Language Skills Today

Regulatory compliance in the pharmaceutical industry is stringent, making it essential to partner with a language proficiency assessment provider such as Language Testing International® (LTI), the exclusive licensee of ACTFL assessments. A survey conducted for ACTFL revealed employers in the United States cannot assume that all collaborators or customers can communicate in English. The need for foreign languages, which covers all major departments in most industries, is not expected to subside but to continue growing.

Ensuring your employees are equipped to meet the linguistic challenges of a globalized market is vital. In addition to safeguarding safety and compliance, it is important to acknowledge that the customer service departments of pharmaceutical companies receive frequent inquiries from non-English-speaking customers about medication usage and side effects. “Communication in various forms is becoming more important in the evolving world of community pharmacy, especially when miscommunication and mistranslation in the industry can have life-altering consequences,” (Zagada). By incorporating multilingual customer service representatives who can communicate with customers in their native languages, sales teams can significantly increase customer satisfaction while upholding health and compliance standards.

LTI delivers ACTFL language proficiency assessments in more than 120 languages, helping pharmaceutical professionals determine their linguistic skills in performing their duties accurately and effectively. This strategic move of assessing the language skills of employees not only resolves compliance issues but also enhances your company’s reputation for safety and reliability. By undergoing remote proctored assessments covering reading, writing, listening, and speaking proficiency, certified bilingual professionals can confidently demonstrate their linguistic abilities and help pharmaceutical companies mitigate risk.

Sources

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Lead with Languages Campaign commissioned Ipsos Public Affairs, with the support of Pearson LLC and Language Testing International. (2019). “Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers.” https://www.actfl.org/uploads/files/general/MakingLanguagesOurBusiness_FullReport.pdf

Nandwana, Anupam. “What Pharma Sales Teams Need To Know About Compliance And The ECCP.” Forbes. Jul 5, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/07/05/what-pharma-sales-teams-need-to-know-about-compliance-and-the-eccp/?sh=6975c1c83135

Zagada, Marielle. “The Pharmaceutical Industry Needs Language Skills – Here’s Why.” goFLUENT. February 20, 2019. https://www.gofluent.com/us-en/blog/why-the-pharmaceutical-industry-needs-language-skills/

Madeline Martínez is a Multicultural Navigator Specialist at URBANDER, a Woman and Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) specializing in transforming businesses to advance humanity. URBANDER’s role is to serve as an extension of Marketing, Diversity, Human Resources, Procurement, Community Relations, and Social Responsibility teams, providing innovative approaches in the areas of strategic marketing, content development, workforce development, community outreach and IDEAS (inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and sustainability). Madeline holds a both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Communications from the University of Puerto Rico and is an experienced copywriter and content developer dedicated to amplifying the voices of URBANDER’s clients. From blogs and articles to social media posts and interviews, Madeline is a skilled writer across diverse topics integrating her marketing, business and academic acumen. Though her earlier work as a Publications Officer at the Inter American University in Puerto Rico, and her most recent performance as a Spanish Interpreter, Substitute Teacher, and Instructional Assistant for English-language learning elementary school students, Madeline has impacted countless families as they have navigated migrating to the U.S. from Spanish-speaking countries. As a bilingual professional, Madeline is also proficient in translating written documents from English to Spanish, and vice versa. She has received LTI issued ACTFL Language Proficiency Certificates in Spanish as follows: Advanced Writing, Advanced Listening, Advanced Reading and Superior Speaking. During her downtime, Madeline loves spending time with her family, and enjoys dancing, movies, photography, and coffee. She considers herself a continuous learner. “A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers”- Helen Keller

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