CROs are conducting clinical trials worldwide on behalf of pharmaceutical companies. While this increases the patient pool, and the opportunity to get data from diverse ethnic backgrounds at a reduced cost, there is an accentuated need for accuracy in communication. This pertains not only to the word-for-word translations, but to the concepts of the diseases, side-effects and outcomes being discussed.

A large portion of the communication in the clinical trial process takes place between clinicians and patients. Depending on the study site and the level of literacy of the patients, the patient-facing materials must be translated to match their reading levels, and the cultural component is equally important.