Expanding horizons in MedComms: navigating the future as language professionals

As a medical translator who is always looking to expand my horizons, I was very much looking forward to Ana Sofia Correia’s presentation on the role of language professionals in the medical communications (MedComms) sector.

Ana Sofia set the scene with a brief overview of her career, from in-house translator to freelance translator and medical writer, followed by an introduction to medical writing and the medical writer’s role. She explained that there is a growing need for skilled medical writers and that medical translators and editors are well placed to undertake this work, given the considerable amount of overlap in the required skills, namely linguistic precision, localisation knowledge, and the ability to bridge gaps between languages and cultures. Developing original content is of course very different to translating or editing existing content, but Ana Sofia believes that this can be mastered with the right training and practice.

We looked at different types of medical writing, including Regulatory Writing and MedComms, and examples of clients in need of these services, such as pharmaceutical companies, contract research organisations (CROs), regulatory bodies, research institutes, journals, patient-advocacy groups and language-service providers (LSPs). We also explored different genres of medical writing, each with its own specific purpose, key focus and needs, including patient-education materials, disease-awareness campaigns, lay summaries and plain-language summaries, journal publications and scientific articles.

Ana Sofia highlighted the importance of understanding the regulatory requirements of your target markets, particularly for patient-information materials and clinical-trial reporting. She explained that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) requires documents to be in English for approval and submission purposes, meaning that L2-English speakers must ensure they produce flawless texts that meet international standards. To this end, she recommended undertaking specialised training in medical English and teaming up with native English speakers.

However, she also explained that there is a growing demand for high-quality, patient-friendly content in local languages, and that L2-English medical writers should identify local gaps in healthcare communication and offer tailored solutions, using their native language as their niche. Additionally, L2-English language professionals are particularly well placed to adapt English medical content for non-native audiences and should also leverage this valuable skill.

Ana Sofia’s advice for transitioning from medical translation and editing to medical writing covered various forms of continuing professional development (CPD): undertaking courses in medical writing, science communication and content creation; attending industry events; reading industry publications and identifying well-written examples; and practising writing different types of content and asking for feedback from peers or mentors. I particularly liked her suggestion for self-guided learning by tasking yourself with creating a certain type of content for a particular audience on a specific subject.

She recommended applying new knowledge by taking on projects that “stretch your skill set”, and teaming up with medical experts, researchers and other professionals, as necessary. As always, it is essential to be responsible and ethical in terms of your capabilities, and to set realistic expectations with your clients. She also recommended adopting lean-writing and plain-language principles, and using readability checkers to ensure content is accessible to specialist and non-specialist readers alike.

Ana Sofia concluded that medical writing and content creation is a way for language professionals to stand out in an ever-changing market, by diversifying their skill set and providing their clients with a comprehensive MedComms service. While I don’t personally feel ready to make the transition, my take-home message from Ana Sofia’s tip-filled presentation was one of optimism: there will always be a need for clear communication, and the many skills we acquire as translators and editors are highly transferable.

This METM24 presentation was chronicled by Jacqueline Lamb.

Featured photo courtesy of MET.