Patient Information Forum Partners with the ATC

Towards best practices in multilingual healthcare communication

The ATC and the Patient Information Forum (PIF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to open new channels of communication and collaboration opportunities between the two associations and their members in the field of multilingual healthcare communication.

The MoU outlines the ATC’s and PIF’s shared objectives of:

• promoting best practice within the provision of language services, translation, and interpreting for the healthcare sector in the UK;
• facilitating meaningful connections between the member organisations of the ATC and PIF; and
• working jointly to increase access to translated health information for non-English speakers.

PIF Director Sophie Randall, is excited about the potential of the partnership, “The pandemic has emphasised the need for high quality translated health information that is trustworthy and culturally appropriate. PIF members face many challenges in meeting the demand for translated material. We look forward to working with the ATC to further define best practice and implement practical solutions to help ensure everyone has access to trusted health information.”

The ATC’s CEO Raisa McNab echoes the sentiment, “PIF’s member organisations in the healthcare sector have hugely complex and ever-evolving multilingual communication needs. I’m absolutely delighted that the ATC and our members will be able to contribute to PIF’s work in defining best practices, and to support PIF’s members in accessing quality-managed translation, interpreting and other language services.”

About the Patient Information Forum

The Patient Information Forum (PIF) is the UK membership organisation and network for people working in health information and support. We are the independent voice of UK health information.

PIF supports 300 cross-sector member organisations to produce high quality, inclusive health information through the provision of guidance and training. PIF runs the only UK-wide quality mark for health information – the PIF TICK. The PIF TICK criteria set the standard for trustworthy health information.

About the ATC

The Association of Translation Companies (ATC) is a professional membership association representing the interests of language service companies in the UK and internationally. The ATC is the leading voice for companies operating in the UK’s language services industry.

The ATC supports its 210 member companies and the language services industry through its research, initiatives, and activities, with a strong focus on collaboration. ATC membership is recognised as the mark of quality-managed language services.

The ATC is also a community of language professionals coming together to exchange experiences and learn from each other.