Aug 17, 2026
Sharon Blank, CEO of RxTran, highlights the value of certified translations of prescription dosing instructions in 26 languages to ensure that limited-English-proficient patients can understand dosing and medication risks. The organization works with pharmacies to deliver translations created by native-speaking pharmacists rather than by automated systems or untrained interpreters. As this LEP population grows, RxTran advocates for standardized, human-verified translation practices to ensure healthcare access and patient safety across all populations.
Sharon explains, "So RxTran’s mission is to provide certified translation of the dosing instructions on prescription labels and ensure that LEP patients have the ability to understand their dosing instructions. And our primary clients include both small individual pharmacies as well as large chains."
"Truthfully, everybody needs the exact same standard of care, whether you are proficient in English or not. And we always say that good enough is not good enough. So it is our belief that you absolutely must have the translated SIGS be done by a pharmacist who is native in the language into which it's being translated. And then be stored in a bank. So it's not pre-written text dosing instructions. It is from a data bank of certified translations."
"So, right now, there are sort of three real issues in that situation. And the dangerous outcomes include the patient won't take the medication because they're fearful. Or they take the wrong dose or at the wrong time. And what we hear time and time again is that they rely on an untrained relative, neighbor, or friend to translate. And all of these just really potentially cause great harm."
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