Translations required as part of the regulatory approval process for medicinal products are, arguably, one of the most exciting areas in the translation industry today. It's a growth area, and while heavily regulated – or perhaps because of this fact – it is in a state of constant flux.

Over the past few years, the amount of translations in the pharmaceutical industry has grown considerably. This has been driven by global regulatory requirements as well as new exciting opportunities that have opened up in new markets, whether for marketing medicinal products or conducting clinical trials. This article reviews some of the current issues in pharmaceutical translations, related to marketing authorization and finding the optimum translation process.

Localization testing has become an indispensable component of just about every software localization endeavor. Just like localization per se, it has experienced major development since it emerged as a recognized standalone testing type more than 20 years ago. It has also faced similar challenges.

Imagine yourself blind-folded (your travel eye shades will do), seated in front of your computer screen, your hands on the keyboard, ready to work. What do you do? This may seem daunting, but today’s technologies turn computers into a powerful tool and an indispensable window to the world for millions of visually-impaired people worldwide.

When, in 1793, Lord Macartney, the Ambassador of George III of England, set sail from China back to England after his spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to strike diplomatic and business relations between the two countries, the letter he was carrying to the king from the Chinese Emperor, Qianlong (乾隆), seemed to summarize well the attitude of the Middle Kingdom to the outside world then:

Over the past 15 years, a number of countries and regions have emerged and profiled themselves globally as popular destinations for offshoring. Each major developed industrial region, it seems, has its offshoring production or manufacturing base located conveniently nearby. Central and South America for North America; Central and Eastern Europe for Western Europe; and China and India not only for Asia Pacific, but – as with the rest – having a global impact, too.