Leading company in the pharma sector – Background
Headquartered in the US with branches in lots of different countries, including Italy, the client is one of the ten most important pharmaceutical companies in the world. The multinational develops, produces and distributes a wide range of innovative drugs to improve human and animal health.
Clinical trial voiceover – The request
The client wants Landoor’s assistance with a voiceover service for a video connected with a clinical trial carried out on a drug. The material will be submitted to the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA – Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco) for the approval of the medicine. English-Italian is the requested language combination.
A long, delicate and complex project – The challenge
The unusual complexity of the task entrusted to our Project Management Division lies in the numerous work phases that must be carried out in sequence without overlaps: a time-consuming process. The main steps in the process are as follows: full transcription of the text into English, translation into Italian, proofreading, voiceovering, editing, final check and finalization. At certain points of these phases the client will intervene to make any necessary corrections or clear up any doubts prior to the start of the subsequent step. We are very exacting in the work we carry out for all our clients but in this case the quality must be even more impeccable as the content is for AIFA, the Italian regulatory agency, communications for which must have a formal and highly specialized register. Our mission is to localize a clinical trial, the purpose of which is to test the efficacy and safety of the drugs and begin their distribution. A very delicate project made even more critical by the tight deadlines.
A carefully designed and structured workflow – The solution
The PM speaks with the client and estimates that it will take around a month to complete the project, not a lot of time for such a major project in a very sectorial and specific sector. The client believes this timeframe is reasonable and confirms that they want to play a proactive role in the process, specifying that internal procedures in the pharmaceutical company require the video to be reviewed twice (two more “turns of the screw” for us but never mind!). At this point the PM draws on our roster of highly-trusted collaborators to create a team of resources who are not only extremely competent but also reactive, flexible and prompt in their deliveries. These professionals, specialized in the medical/scientific sector, are provided with all of the necessary reference materials. Well ahead of time, the PM also begins searching for a voice-over artist who can convey the messages in a professional yet natural and pleasant way.
The workflow process involves the following steps:
- Verbatim transcription of the original audio track and video screens (with timecodes) entrusted to English mother tongue professionals.
- Careful proofreading of the transcription by a second English mother tongue professional.
- Translation into Italian of the segments of text in an Excel file, with careful attention paid to using the correct general and company terminology, and maintaining the academic register of the original.
- Submission of the translation to the client for their initial approval.
- First review by the client comparing the English and Italian texts, and introduction of corrections/edits/preferences.
- Updating of the translated text on the basis of the client’s comments.
- Submission of the translation to the client for their second approval.
- Thorough review of drafts: the proofreader, in turn, approves the final version, ensuring the complete consistency of the terminology used in the text.
- Studio recording of the voiceover with an expert professional and cutting-edge technologies.
- Editing of the video with the voiceover and the perfect synchronization between the images and the audio track.
- Submission of the video to the client for a second review of the content with the voiceover of the audio track.
- New voiceovers for the parts requiring editing (our speaker is aware that they must maintain as far as possible the same rhythm and tone of voice as the original so as not to introduce deformities into the audio track).
- Final approval by the client before the video is sent to AIFA.
Satisfaction all-round – The result
Following the approval of AIFA, the client expresses their enthusiasm for the quality of our work, acknowledging the fact that our team not only worked highly efficiently with tight turnaround times but also paid particular attention to the characteristics of the project and its specific requirements.
