For multinational organizations that have switched to a remote work setup (like Morningside), maintaining an off-site international workforce raises new management and HR challenges – with communication chief among them. As companies reinvent their way of doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to maintain engagement with home-based personnel. Here are three things you can do to ensure your remote employees feel connected and motivated during these trying times:

Provide interpretation support for online phone calls and video meetings

While it is unsafe to hold in-person meetings, business can run as usual with the use of online phone calls and video meetings. Platforms like Skype, GoToMeeting and Zoom (just to name a few) will support phone or video meetings with colleagues or clients based anywhere in the world – as long as they have an internet connection and no language barriers.

When you’re conducting online business meetings with multilingual participants, it’s important to ensure everyone can understand one another. If there is any risk of a communication barrier, a professional interpreter can make all the difference in the world. During COVID-19, you can rely on Morningside for video remote or phone interpretation services across a wide variety of industries. Our global network of 8,000+ linguists are experts in dozens of technical fields and subject areas, including legal, finance, life sciences, manufacturing, and consumer products, and our quality management system is ISO-9001, ISO-13485, & ISO-17100 certified.

Provide multilingual eLearning courses for employee onboarding & continuing professional development

With personnel working off-site, a genuine opportunity arises to connect with your employees by reinforcing and enhancing critical skill sets via online training and targeted eLearning assignments. Doing so will increase employee engagement, whether it’s for onboarding new team members or providing new learning opportunities for existing employees. Luckily, Morningside is an expert at helping companies develop and deliver successful multilingual eLearning courses for transnational workforces.

Note: There are two ways to provide eLearning modules – live courses or self-guided programs. When companies prepare self-guided eLearning models — which can include everything from PowerPoint presentations and audio scripts to video content and captioned graphics — Morningside will work tirelessly to ensure accurate translation and localization, seamless integration, and user-friendly deliverables that provide the same user experience as the source content. For live sessions, our simultaneous interpreters help present information and graphics clearly and accurately. Audience questions receive the same treatment, allowing for a lively back-and-forth that helps keep employees engaged.

Encourage virtual team coffee breaks or water cooler chats

Social distancing is necessary, but that doesn’t mean we should completely change our ways. Chatting over a cup of coffee or by the water cooler can play an important role in your employees’ happiness and satisfaction at work. So while we can’t take physical breaks together, employers should encourage virtual team breaks where groups gather on Skype, Zoom, or GoToMeeting just to talk. Breaks should be scheduled and timed, but obviously no agendas need to be planned. This is a time for people who are used to spending so much time working right next to each other to catch up and chat in a stress-free environment.

An opportunity not to be missed

Interestingly, recent research reports that people who work at home have been found to be more productive than those operating in a conventional office environment — and that remote workers even put in extra time (the equivalent of 1.4 extra, unpaid workdays each month, or 16.8 days per year). With that in mind, employers can choose to look on the positive side during these restrictive times, and focus on the value that increased multilingual support will bring to employees and clients around the world. For more information on Morningside’s remote interpretation or multilingual eLearning services, please contact us.

Millions of people worldwide have been ordered to stay home to help reduce the transmission of novel coronavirus, and that number is only expected to grow in the coming weeks. In the face of such a profound disruption of business-as-usual, many of us are being forced to find new ways to work. Here’s what that means for your multilingual business communications in the legal and medical sectors:

Canceled or delayed court proceedings

A number of judges around the globe are delaying court proceedings until some later date, as part of an increasing worldwide effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The U.S. Justice Department even asked Congress to take the highly controversial step of granting judges the right to hold defendants indefinitely without trial during emergencies such as the current pandemic.

While the DOJ request has been broadly condemned on a bipartisan basis, it nonetheless highlights a real problem: Delaying court proceedings is – at best – a temporary solution. There are issues in dire need of resolution, including numerous cases before the U.S. Supreme Court (which now plans to postpone two weeks of oral arguments that had been set to start March 23^rd).

Moving legal & medical interpretation online

For the health of all parties involved, and to avoid such problem-causing delays, some court systems, such as Washington D.C.’s Superior Court, are switching to a remote operations setup that relies heavily on online services. Obviously, when multilingual matters are involved, remote interpretation services will become necessary.

Though remote online interpretation is still a new idea to some, it’s actually a tried-and-true system that has matured over time with increasing utilization in a variety of industries. For over a decade, hospitals and other medical facilities have been turning to online video remote & phone interpretation as a more flexible means of serving diverse patient populations and connecting with medical colleagues working in different countries. Remote legal interpretation is also often the most practical solution for attorneys and judges tasked with litigating international disputes.

Enlist an experienced language services provider

The option still remains, of course, to continue using on-site interpreters for sites that remain open and in compliance with local coronavirus safety regulations. However, for important legal and medical matters that cannot take place in person, please reach out to Morningside to activate your remote business continuity plan.

We have extensive experience arranging highly skilled legal and medical interpreters for these specialized industries. We can provide simultaneous and/or consecutive interpretation in over 150 languages supported via all major online meeting platforms — Zoom, Skype, GotoMeeting, etc. — as well as video and over-the-phone interpretation. Any of these options can be arranged in advance or requested on-demand as your business needs change with new COVID-19 restrictions.

Technology transfer offices determine a university’s intellectual property strategy for patent protection, licensing and commercialization, but surprisingly few have comprehensive internal capabilities. Given the enormity of the investment, the complexity of the work, and the potential revenue at stake, technology transfer offices that lack end-to-end internal resources need a strategic IP services partner to help them make the most of their patent portfolio.

There are myriad advantages to partnering with strategic IP services and translation partners but for brevity’s sake, let’s focus on three big ones:

A Focus on Cost Savings

This is perhaps the most relevant one because most technology transfer offices operate under extremely tight budgets until they can gain patent protection and find a suitable licensee or buyer. If you’re not currently partnering with IP services and translation providers, there’s an opportunity for significant cost savings.

Most tech transfer offices work with several outside counsel firms who, in turn, use foreign associates or external vendors for translations – and it’s the same for foreign filing. You can increase your purchasing power through consolidation because increased volume flowing through a single strategic IP service and translation provider means more significant discounts. A streamlined operation with lower costs associated with the IP makes said IP more appealing to potential licensees.

There’s No Additional Work

Technology transfer offices are operating under tight budgets, and the same is true for their internal resources – they are constrained. Securing your IP worldwide is an enormous effort, so it’s important to note that partnering with a patent translation & filing partner often eases the administrative burden. Consolidation of disparate processes creates a more streamlined workflow.

The Ability to Work With Multiple Outside Counsel

Technology transfer offices often work with multiple outside counsels depending on the subject matter or the discipline involved. On top of that, potential licensees usually prefer outside counsel. With that in mind, an IP services company understanding the landscape and existing relationships with many external counsels could be highly beneficial. Morningside, for example, works with 97% of the AmLaw 200 – so chances are we’re already working with them.

Technology transfer offices are situated at the confluence of limited resources and enormous potential, so they must maximize the available resources. As the most significant patent translation & filing company in North America, Morningside has the experience, the ability and the capacity to help technology transfer offices consolidate their efforts, save money, streamline their processes and ultimately maximize their potential. You can learn more about our services here.

The idea of seeking international patent protection for your invention is as exciting as it is daunting. On one hand, expanding your reach to new places and new markets is thrilling. On the other, preparing successful patent applications that meet varying regulatory and language requirements is undeniably a major undertaking. One streamlined approach to getting all this work done — and done well – is to work with an experienced IP services company that can handle both patent translations and foreign filing. An effective IP services partner, like Morningside, can dramatically lower costs while ensuring consistent, reliable patent quality. Here’s how:

Quality claim construction

Patent examiners everywhere take the wording of applicant claims very seriously. After all, if your patent needs to be defended, or is challenged sometime down the road, the validity of your claim can hang on the precise meaning of individual words or phrases. “Inventions are not rejected,” says patent attorney Gene Quinn, President of IPWatchdog. “What is rejected is the articulation of the invention as it appears in the claims.”

Sometimes poor claim construction simply makes it impossible for examiners to approve a patent application. For example, perhaps the value or intention of an invention isn’t apparent, perhaps it reads as being similar to another party’s IP, or perhaps a lack of specificity results in an overly broad claim. If an examiner thinks the wording of a claim makes its meaning unclear, there’s a chance the application will be delayed, as clarification is sought, or outright rejected.

It’s important to remember that proper claim construction is just as important in the original application as it is in the translated applications for foreign Patent Offices. Working with an established patent translation company will ensure that the translators working on your patent have deep subject matter and technical field expertise. These highly trained linguists should work within an ISO-certified QA process to give you confidence that the carefully crafted language you put into your original application is translated exactly as you envisioned for your foreign language applications.

Finding the right language partner

A huge concern for obtaining international patent rights is the related cost – there are translation fees and various official fees for every country where you wish to file. And once you’ve made the decision to file, waiting for grant can be painstaking. After all, patent prosecution takes time in the best of cases (usually just under three years), and it can take even more time if the examiner requires any back-and-forth communication on specific claims clarifications. All of this waiting can prevent you from reaping the full commercial benefits of your innovation.

Your best defense against high costs and a long prosecution timeframe is to ensure that your application and its translations are written in an air-tight manner. Once you’ve identified the patent translation service with whom you’d like to work — we suggest you research each potential service’s reputation, features and pricing — you’ll need to prepare your USPTO patent application. Carefully construct your claims in English, ruthlessly refining your wording into exactly what it is you want to claim and say. Remember, this will serve as the baseline version from which all international versions will be derived.

Then, talk to your translation company about the tools they can provide to streamline the process. For example, high quality translation memory (TM) and glossary tools enable Morningside IP to provide repetitive text savings that improve accuracy and consistency across languages, while our network of foreign agents work to obtain the lowest filing fees for each country where you wish to be protected.

Don’t worry, be protected

By contracting the right patent translation company, this complex, multi-faceted project becomes infinitely more manageable, leaving you to focus on the excitement of expanding your international business presence.

Did you know that 75% of online shoppers prefer to browse websites published in their own language? In fact, 60% of those surveyed by CSA Research said they rarely or never buy from English-only sites.

As a result, a key component of a company’s ability to penetrate new markets is the language of its online content. And while website translation certainly has its challenges, it is perhaps the most critical and worthwhile strategy for increasing global revenue.

In this blog post, we’ll look at four of the most common website translation challenges we see from our clients and explain how you can overcome those hurdles with some basic planning and preparation.

1. Using Proper Terminology Consistently

Many companies have specific product and/or industry terminology, and these terms need to be translated correctly – on the first instance – so that they make sense for each target language website. We recommend creating a glossary of common terms, or a termbase, before beginning the actual website translation process. Creating a termbase has its upfront costs, but it will ultimately save time and money down the road as you continuously update your online content. Here’s how it works:

• Extract a list of terms that are commonly used throughout your source language website.
• Provide that list to your translation company, along with some context to help the translators.
• The translation company will input the terms into a terminology database, where subject matter experts will add the correct translation for each term and language.
• When the termbase is complete, your company can review the work and make any necessary changes before signing off.

Once this process is complete, translators can dig into the full website translation – but words and phrases from the termbase will become available for reference in a box on the side of their work screens. Then linguists can simply select and insert the correct translations for specified terms without spending any additional time researching those phrases. After the translation is complete, QA checkers will make sure your preferred terminology was used and, if not, they can apply corrections as necessary. Following this process ensures consistency within the project, as well as across other translated assets, which ultimately saves time and reduces your costs.

2. Adapting the Content to Each Locale

Ideally, your original content tells a clear and succinct story with minimal idioms, slang and/or local references. However, this isn’t always the case, which is why translation is just the first step in the localization process. Highly trained linguists will look for the intent of your source language and then convey that message in the right context to the target audience. (GoogleTranslate cannot do that!) Additionally, you need to consider adapting your:

• Layout – Does the translated text fit properly on the screen?
• Design – Are the colors and photos culturally appropriate/sensitive?
• Local requirements – Are there references to local regulations or legal requirements?
• Formatting – Are conversions required for local currencies, units of measure, dates, addresses or phone numbers?

3. Completing Multilingual GUI Testing Before Release

Before localized websites are released to the public, they need to be tested and reviewed. First impressions mean a lot, and if there are mistakes, you could lose the interest of potential customers. That’s why it’s always a good idea to check with your translation company to ensure that they can perform UI/GUI testing and QA on translated websites.

Ultimately, every word should make sense in context and all functional and cosmetic aspects of the site should look right and work properly. For example, it’s hard to see things like text expansion (some languages require more words) until you view the translated content in the graphical user interface. How does it look? Are any words or lines cut off? Does every button and link work properly? Overall, is the site easy to browse and intuitive to use?

4. Keeping Your Published Multilingual Website Up-to-Date

Releasing your multilingual website is a major milestone. Once it’s available to the public, it’s important to keep each language updated with your most current content. Managing this process can be tricky, especially if you update your website frequently, so here are two technology tools that can help you:

• Translation plugins – If you manage or operate a website powered by WordPress or Drupal, consider using an automated translation plugin like Morningside Translator (for Drupal) or WordPress Multilingual. Both work to build a bridge between your website’s source language content and Morningside’s network of 8,000+ native linguists and subject matter experts, all while allowing you to monitor the status of projects, submit & approve quotes, and review & publish translated content in the plugin dashboard. Take a closer look at these two options here.

• Translation proxy solution (TPS) – A TPS like Sitelingo is another great way to handle web updates. Sitelingo can scan your website on a regular basis (either daily, weekly or monthly) to detect new content, and then it automatically kicks off the translation process. You don’t have to search the site for what’s new, save the content in a spreadsheet, send language files back and forth, etc. Instead, a TPS provides a very efficient, low maintenance approach to updating and maintaining multilingual websites.

Conclusion

Translating your website can open up many new opportunities for your business. It’s not without challenges, but with a little planning and preparation you can overcome them. As a website translation company, we have experience localizing content in over 200 languages. If you have any more questions, please contact us below.

Medical translations are a specialization that require high-quality work. There is zero tolerance for error — even a missing decimal point on a document could cause harm or death. That’s why it is absolutely critical to work with a medical translation company certified to the latest ISO standards. Applying for these certifications is voluntary and time-consuming, not to mention expensive, so not every translation company chooses to complete the process. Those that do are providing you with a signed commitment to delivering first-rate products/services, and that should give you confidence in the company. Now let’s take a look at three ISO standards that a medical translation company should have and the value that they bring.

Three Key ISO Certifications

A translation company that specializes in medical document translations (e.g. clinical trial documents, regulatory submissions, or labeling & instructions) should have the following ISO certifications:

• ISO 9001:2015 – This is an internationally recognized standard that outlines general processes and procedures for maintaining a quality management system (QMS). It applies to any business in any industry.
• ISO 17100:2015 – This standard is intended specifically for translation service providers. It outlines specific processes, resource requirements and other stringent guidelines for the delivery of high-quality translation services.
• ISO 13485:2016 – This standard defines the requirements of a QMS for companies that are in the medical device industry. It outlines obligations for manufacturers and service providers to monitor and control both internal processes and outsourced processes that affect product quality. This is where translation and localization companies come in – if a medical device manufacturer outsources their translation process, the manufacturer must be accountable for their supplier. Thus, many large medical companies will also require their translation company to have achieved ISO 13485:2016 certification.

What is a QMS?

A QMS is a formalized quality management system that documents processes, procedures and responsibilities for meeting quality objectives. A QMS provides many benefits, including improved processes, reduced waste, reduced costs, and optimized resources. In addition, a QMS directs a company in how to best achieve customer requirements. To obtain ISO certifications, and to get re-certified, a company must have good management and quality practices.

A Deep Commitment to Clients in the Medical Industry

Obtaining the three ISO certifications above, especially ISO 13485:2016, shows that a company is deeply committed to serving the medical device market. To obtain the certifications, a company must meet the strict requirements of the standard, go through a rigorous auditing process and become re-certified on a routine basis. It’s a laborious process that requires significant resources and regular maintenance. It’s also a voluntary process, so a company that obtains these certifications shows a true commitment to quality control.

Translation Tools and Technologies Drive Efficiency

As part of their QMS, a translation company should have professional translation tools and technologies such as:

• Translation memory (TM) – A translation memory is a repository of original content and the translated versions of that content. A TM reduces costs, increases consistency and reduces time to market.
• Terminology management and glossary tools – These tools manage client-specific terminology, including branded terms, products/services and industry terms. Managing terminology helps to maintain consistency across translations, while simultaneously reducing costs and time to market.
• Client Platforms – A client portal (or platform) is a tool for clients to access and manage their translation projects at any time. Portals usually have features such as initiating and tracking projects, communicating with team members and downloading reports.

These types of tools drive process efficiency and bring numerous benefits to clients and the company.

About Us

At Morningside, we’ve been providing high-quality medical translation services for over 20 years and we have obtained all three of the critical ISO certifications described above. Our quality assurance process includes many layers of controls, including editing and proofing with built-in redundancies. To learn more about our high-quality translations, contact us today.