From Successful Tagline Transcreation to Continued Cooperation with JGL

JGL develops and produces generic drugs with added value, sold under its own protected names. Their range of non-prescription products comprises a large number of OTC drugs, medicinal products and dietary supplements. Some of their most famous brands include Aqua Maris, Meralys HA, Vizol S, Lactogyn, Normia and Prolife.

The success of JGL gained momentum when the company left Ljekarna Jadran in 1991 and started producing generic drugs within the category of essential medicines. These drugs were produced in small series and were not of interest to the pharmaceutical industry because they were not profitable.

JGL took a further step towards future growth and development by spreading their business outside of their local market, expanding their business to the rest of Croatia and then to Slovenia in 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997 and to Macedonia and Serbia in 2001. However, entering the markets of Russia (1998) and later in Ukraine (2004) and Kazakhstan (2006) proved to be a key strategic decision for the company.

Intensive cooperation between Ciklopea and JGL began in 2011 when JGL launched their rebranding campaign. We talked with Corporate Communications Manager Dea Demić about the company’s long cooperation with Ciklopea.

How did your cooperation with Ciklopea begin?

I believe that Ciklopea and JGL worked together before I came to JGL in 2010, but I can definitely confirm that this cooperation became more intense since then, especially after our corporate branding campaign was launched. One of the most memorable joint projects was the transcreation, or creative translation, of our tagline “Droplets in our palm” in 2011 into several languages (Albanian, Romanian, Bosnian, Serbian, Hungarian, Macedonian, Russian and English).

Do you feel that the transcreated tagline has successfully brought JLG closer to the target audiences while retaining its original message?

Absolutely! The Ciklopea team was immensely supportive in every aspect of recreating our tagline for other markets to get the message across to stakeholders around the world. During this intense period of cooperation, I felt that Ciklopea team was almost a part of our internal team. The adapted tagline which was transcreated by Ciklopea took hold on every market, which was our key goal from the very beginning.

This project also laid the foundation for our future cooperation. From the very outset, the Ciklopea team proved their timeliness, expertise, open way of communication and positive approach. Ciklopea understands what we need, such as the need to employ different ways of communicating with the wider public and with the healthcare professionals. The translators and editors adapted very successfully. They are always ready to provide their services as a regular team and they have been following JGL since the very beginning. We have never questioned our future cooperation.

In which segments of the pharmaceutical industry does the importance of translation, localization and language solutions become most evident?

In the Corporate Communications segment, this importance is most evident in external communication with a wide circle of stakeholders, from doctors, pharmacists, representatives of professional organisations, the government and the regulatory bodies to representatives of financial institutions, regulators and the media.

Communication is also frequent in the internal communications segment as well.

For instance, our annual business report is more than 50 pages long and features the key information about what has been done during the year on the level of teams, departments, segments, markets and the related enterprises. As more than 200 of our employees work in our key markets in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, quality language solutions are extremely important for full understanding and exchange of information within the entire JGL team.

Ciklopea provides the final touch to our communications through editing and translation into Russian and English, which requires a good command of pharmaceutical terminology, our internal processes, technology and our products in general. As standardised style is one of the key elements of Corporate Communications, Ciklopea team also has an advisory role during the editing or content adaptation.

What is the importance of having a regular provider of language solutions?

Because of everything that stated above, the benefit of having a regular LSP which functions as a part of the company is evident, especially when dealing with sensitive material such as patient information leaflets that need to be approved by a medical service or by the regulatory bodies after the translation, as well as for adapting creative content in business communication.

For a long time, we have been aware of the fact that it is essential to have a language solutions provider who understands the specific needs and the challenges of JGL and who customizes the solutions depending on the type and purpose of the material, as well as the target audience. Our years of cooperation show that continuous cooperation ensures quality.