How to Translate Medication Names and Doses for Foreign Pharmacies

Traveling abroad with prescription meds isn’t just about packing your pills. It’s about making sure the pharmacist in Tokyo, Paris, or Mexico City understands exactly what you need - and that you get the right drug, in the right dose, at the right time. A misread label, a confused brand name, or a misunderstood dosage can lead to serious harm. This isn’t hypothetical. In 2022, a traveler in Spain was given a muscle relaxant instead of her heart medication because the pharmacist mistook the brand name. She ended up in the ER. It happened because someone assumed medication translation was just a matter of Google Translate.

Why Medication Names Vary So Much Across Countries

The same drug can have five different names depending on where you are. That’s because drug manufacturers use different brand names in different countries, even when the active ingredient is identical. In the U.S., you might take Advil for pain. In France, it’s Ibuprofène. In Poland, it’s Abfen. In the UK, you might find Nurofen. All are ibuprofen. But if you hand a pharmacist a bottle labeled "Advil" in Germany and ask for "Ibuprofen," they might stare at you blankly - or worse, give you something completely different.

The World Health Organization created the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) system to fix this. INN names like "ibuprofen," "metformin," or "amoxicillin" are standardized globally. But pharmacies don’t always use them. They use the brand name that’s sold locally. That’s why you need to know both: the generic name and the brand name you’re used to.

Even worse, some names sound almost identical but are totally different drugs. Ambyen (used in the UK for heart rhythm issues) sounds like Ambien (a U.S. sleep aid). Take the wrong one, and you could overdose on a sedative. That’s not a mistake you recover from.

How Dosages Are Written Differently Around the World

Dosage instructions are another minefield. In the U.S., you’ll see "take 1 tablet by mouth twice daily." In Germany, it might say "1 Tablette morgens und abends." But what if the tablet is labeled "1g"? In the U.S., that means 1 gram - 1000 milligrams. In some countries, especially older prescriptions or handwritten ones, "1g" might be misread as "1 mg" - a thousand times weaker. One Reddit user shared how a Spanish prescription said "1g" for a painkiller. The patient thought it meant 1 milligram, not 1000 mg. He was taking a tenth of the dose he needed. His pain didn’t go away. He didn’t know why.

Some countries use decimal points differently. In the U.S., "0.5 mg" means half a milligram. In parts of Europe, they write it as "0,5 mg." If a pharmacist sees a decimal point and expects a comma, they might think it’s 5 mg - ten times too strong.

And then there’s the SIG - the doctor’s instructions written on the prescription. "SIG: Take 1 tab q6h" means "take one tablet every six hours." But if that’s translated literally without medical context, it could become "take one tablet every six hours" - which sounds fine - unless the pharmacist doesn’t know what "q6h" means. That’s why you need someone who understands medical abbreviations, not just language.

What You Should Do Before You Travel

Don’t wait until you’re out of pills in a foreign country to figure this out. Start at least two weeks before your trip.

• Write down the generic name of each medication (e.g., lisinopril, not Zestril).
• Write down the strength (e.g., 10 mg, not "one pill").
• Write down the dosage schedule (e.g., "once daily," "take with food").
• Take a copy of your original prescription - with the doctor’s name, phone number, and stamp.
• Bring extra pills. At least a 10-day supply. In case you can’t get a refill.

Use a trusted tool like Drugs.com/International to check what your medication is called in your destination country. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than guessing. One traveler in Paris ran out of his antidepressant. He typed "sertraline" into the site. It showed him the local brand name: Zoloft. He walked into a pharmacy, showed the label, and got his refill in 15 minutes.

What Pharmacies Need to Translate - And How They Should Do It

If you’re a pharmacist or running a clinic that serves international patients, you’re not just translating words. You’re translating safety. You need to handle:

• Prescription labels
• Package inserts
• Warning stickers
• Consumer Medication Information (CMI)
• Instructions for use (SIGs)

General translation services like Google Translate or even bilingual staff won’t cut it. A 2022 survey found 68% of international healthcare providers had trouble reading foreign prescriptions because of confusing terminology. One pharmacist in Dubai told me he once translated "0.1 mg" as "0.1 gram" - a thousand times too strong. The patient survived, but barely.

Professional services like RxTran or Stepes use medical databases that map brand names to INN names across 26+ languages. They know that "Lipitor" = "atorvastatin," and that "Lipitor" isn’t sold in Brazil - the local version is "Atorvastatina." They also know how to format dosages correctly for each country.

And they don’t just translate - they verify. Their systems cross-check the drug against global databases to make sure the translation matches the active ingredient. That’s the only way to avoid mix-ups like Ambyen and Ambien.

When AI Translation Fails - And When It’s Useful

AI tools like Google Translate or DeepL can help you get a rough idea. If you’re stuck in a small town in Vietnam and need to explain that your pill is for blood pressure, you can type in "amlodipine 5 mg once daily" and get a decent translation. But don’t rely on it for anything official.

AI doesn’t know that in Japan, "5 mg" is written as "5ミクログラム" - wait, no, that’s wrong. It’s "5mg" - same symbols. But it doesn’t know that in some countries, the dosage is written as "5/1" meaning 5 milligrams per 1 tablet, and that the "/1" is critical. AI doesn’t know that "q.d." means once daily, or that "b.i.d." means twice daily. It doesn’t know that "tid" is outdated and often misread.

The best use of AI? As a first pass - to help you understand what you’re looking at. Then take that to a certified medical translator or a pharmacist who speaks the language. Never let AI be the final word.

Legal Requirements and What Pharmacies Must Do

In the U.S., the law requires pharmacies to provide translated medication labels in certain languages if a significant portion of the local population speaks them. New York mandates translations in Chinese, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. California is expanding to include Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Farsi. The Department of Health and Human Services is pushing to cover the top 15 languages spoken by Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations in each state.

Hospitals and large pharmacies are required to have translation systems in place. Many now use integrated software like RxTran that works directly with their dispensing systems. When a prescription comes in from a non-English speaker, the system auto-translates the label and warning stickers in seconds.

But small pharmacies? They’re struggling. The software costs $3,500 a year. Not everyone can afford that. That’s why many rely on phone interpreters or printed translation sheets. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing.

What to Do If You Can’t Get Your Medication Abroad

Sometimes, you just can’t get the exact same drug. That’s when you need to find an equivalent.

Start with the generic name. If you take "Sertraline 50 mg," and you can’t find Zoloft in Thailand, ask for "sertraline" - and show them the pill’s shape and color. Pharmacists can match it visually.

Use resources like the WHO’s INN database or the European Medicines Agency’s website to confirm what the drug is called in that country. Or ask your doctor before you leave: "If I can’t get this drug abroad, what’s the closest alternative?"

Never take someone else’s medication. Don’t assume a friend’s "painkiller" is the same as yours. Even if it’s labeled "ibuprofen," the strength might be different. One traveler in Mexico took a local brand thinking it was 200 mg - it was 400 mg. He ended up with stomach bleeding.

Final Checklist Before You Leave

• ✅ List all medications: generic name, brand name, strength, dosage
• ✅ Bring original prescriptions and doctor’s contact info
• ✅ Pack at least 10 extra days’ supply
• ✅ Use Drugs.com/International to check local names
• ✅ Know your INN names - memorize them
• ✅ Carry a small card with your meds in the local language (print it or save it on your phone)
• ✅ Never rely on AI alone for translation
• ✅ If unsure, ask a pharmacist to verify the drug and dose

Medication safety isn’t about language skills. It’s about precision. One wrong digit, one misread abbreviation, one confused brand name - and you’re in danger. The tools exist. The knowledge is out there. You just have to use it.