V38 N3 / 2023 

©2023 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved.  
ISSN 2163-5315

AMWAJournal.org     3

THEME ARTICLE

Medical communicators are tasked with delivering sci-
entific information to numerous stakeholders, including 
patients, caregivers, providers, researchers, policymakers, 
and payors, around the world. In recent years, content offer-
ings have expanded beyond traditional scientific publica-
tions deliverables, such as abstracts and articles, to include 
enhancements that are more easily digestible by patients 
or busy clinicians, such as plain language summaries, info-
graphics, graphical abstracts, and other multimedia for-
mats. Global medical communications is a burgeoning field 
that involves the delivery of cutting-edge scientific research 
to a broader global audience. However, medical and scien-
tific articles have historically been published only in English 
and kept behind journal paywalls, limiting accessibility 
by the global scientific community. In this special issue of 
the AMWA Journal, we explore some of these issues and 
consider ways that medical communicators are improv-
ing access to scientific data and bridging the gaps between 
stakeholders around the world.
 In the first theme article of this issue, Amanda Xiaoqing 
Mao, PhD, an experienced bilingual Chinese medical com-
municator and translator, shares best practices for medical 
translators to ensure the best possible translations. To begin 
with, medical translators must possess strong writing skills 
and have a thorough understanding of medical terminol-
ogy in both the source and target languages to ensure that a 
translation accurately conveys the intended message while 
maintaining the original tone and style. To support their 
work, medical translators may use existing tools or create 
their own when needed, such as bilingual glossaries or 
machine translators. In conclusion, Dr Mao posits that med-
ical translation is an essential component of the global med-
ical communications industry, alongside regulatory writing, 
scientific publications, health communication, continuing 
medical education, promotional writing, and grant writing.
 In the second theme article of the issue, Jo Gordon 
of Oxford PharmaGenesis shares information about the 
history and mission of Open Pharma, which is a non-
profit-seeking collaboration that aims to improve the 

communication of research 
sponsored by the pharmaceuti-
cal industry. The article offers a 
wealth of information to medical 
communicators working in the 
field of scientific publications 
about the work and resources of 
Open Pharma and how they can 
get involved. 
 In the third theme article 
of this issue, Claire Beeby and 
Eleanor J. Raynsford of Oxford PharmaGenesis and Charles 
Pollitt of Ipsen present findings of a pilot study that evalu-
ated a Web-based translation tool for translating  
scientific abstracts and plain language summaries (PLSs). 
Google Translate was used to translate abstracts and PLSs 
from 5 medical journal publications into 4 languages: 
French, German, Mandarin, and Slovenian. Bilingual 
reviewers with scientific backgrounds were tasked with 
assessing the translation quality of each abstract and PLS. 
The authors present the results of their study along with a 
discussion of their research in context and ways to increase 
accessibility of scientific content by non-English speakers.
 I would like to note that the articles in this issue have 
been graciously contributed by medical communicators 
working outside the United States in Europe, Asia, and 
Australia, thus providing a different perspective on issues 
that may be important to medical communicators around 
the world. I invite both our current AMWA members as well 
as any new readers of our journal from around the world to 
share feedback about the content and consider contributing 
their own perspectives on global medical communications 
to future issues of the AMWA Journal.

Author declaration and disclosures: The author notes no  
commercial conflict of interest in relation to this article. The views 
and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and 
do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s employer.

Author contact: lizkukielka@gmail.com

Elizabeth Kukielka, PharmD, MWC, CMPP / Oxford PharmaGenesis, Inc, Newtown, PA

Overcoming Obstacles and Building Bridges in Global Medical Communication

FROM THE GUEST EDITOR

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