questel_logo
closeClose
  • Patent
    menu-bracket
    • Our Patent solutions
  • TrademarkNew
    menu-bracket
    • Our Trademark solutions
  • Innovation
    menu-bracket
    • Our Innovation solutions
  • SolutionsAI
    menu-bracket
    • Solutions
  • Resources
    menu-bracket
  • Contactmenu-bracket
More
    • Learn & Supportmenu-bracket
      • Learn and support
          • Webinars & Eventsmenu-bracket
            Are you interested in attending one of our online or onsite event?
          • Product Trainingsmenu-bracket
            Customer success is our priority. Increase your skills in the use of Questel’s software
          • Product Newsmenu-bracket
            A platform dedicated to software and platforms news and evolutions
          • Best-in-class Customer Experiencemenu-bracket
            Our goal is to exceed our clients' expectations and share best practices
          • IP Trainingmenu-bracket
            Increase the IP-IQ of your entire organization with engaging IP training programs
          • Newsletter subscriptionmenu-bracket
            Sign up for our quarterly patent and trademark newsletters and set your email preferences below.
          • Resource Hubmenu-bracket
            Stay up-to-date with industry best practices with our latest blogs
    • About Questelmenu-bracket
      • Careers →menu-bracket
        • Login Pages →menu-bracket
          • Learn & Supportmenu-bracket
            • Learn and support
                • Webinars & Eventsmenu-bracket
                  Are you interested in attending one of our online or onsite event?
                • Product Trainingsmenu-bracket
                  Customer success is our priority. Increase your skills in the use of Questel’s software
                • Product Newsmenu-bracket
                  A platform dedicated to software and platforms news and evolutions
                • Best-in-class Customer Experiencemenu-bracket
                  Our goal is to exceed our clients' expectations and share best practices
                • IP Trainingmenu-bracket
                  Increase the IP-IQ of your entire organization with engaging IP training programs
                • Newsletter subscriptionmenu-bracket
                  Sign up for our quarterly patent and trademark newsletters and set your email preferences below.
                • Resource Hubmenu-bracket
                  Stay up-to-date with industry best practices with our latest blogs
          • About Questelmenu-bracket
            • Careers →menu-bracket
              • Login Pages →menu-bracket
              EN
              questel-menu
              5 tips for PCT National Phase Filing
              Blog Post / Published, February 3, 2022

              5 tips for PCT National Phase Filing

              Back to Resource hub
              Back to Resource hub
              overview

              Patent protection is limited by national or regional borders. This means you must file for a new patent or validate your patent in each individual country or region where you wish to protect your invention. Most national patent offices require your application to be submitted in the official national language, or if it’s a regional office like the EPO, then you will have a choice of local languages (e.g. English, French or German). Translating your patent application into the relevant language – and doing it well – is a crucial part of getting a patent issued.

              The wording of your claims

              The exact wording of your patent – especially the patent’s claims – defines what the patent does and the scope of what you want the national government to protect if it agrees to approve your patent application and issue your patent. The patent claims are what the patent courts will need to review if a patent infringement case arises. Therefore, each national patent office spends a good deal of time examining the wording of each claim during the patent process before agreeing to issue and protect it.

              The examination process is the critical stage of patent prosecution. If a problem is discovered during prosecution, the patent examiner can issue a rejection with an explanation of the claims that are not allowable. As Gene Quinn of IP Watchdog explains, “Inventions are not rejected. What is rejected is the articulation of the invention as it appears in the claims. It is perfectly possible for a patentable invention to be described in the patent application, but for the claims to be too broad or otherwise have some kind of infirmity that would lead to a rejection.”

              Quinn continues by highlighting an extremely important point: “A rejection is not the end of the [prosecution] process, but the starting point of a discussion with the examiner about what he or she will require the claim language to specifically say in order for the claim to be allowable.”

              Translation costs

              If you are filing your patent overseas in a non-English speaking country, you will need to translate that patent into the official languages(s) of the relevant countries.

              Patent translation can represent up to 50% of the total costs associated with prosecution. If you want to reduce the steep translation costs associated with national phase filing and EP validation, a patent translation service provider can offer useful tools to increase efficiency and lower costs while ensuring quality.

               

               

              The patent translation company advantage

              By using a patent translation service to translate your patent application abroad, you will have access to:

              • Subject matter experts (SME) – A patent is a legal document, containing highly technical language and references. Given the importance of terminology in the patent translation process, a professional patent services company will match your patent with a specialized SME translator who is well-versed in the technical field related to the invention.
              • Specialized tools – Language service providers have access to translation tools that improve efficiency, lower costs and ensure error-free deliverables. For example, translation memory and glossary tools can be used to identify repetitive text – cutting time and costs during the patent translation process.
              • A central point of contact – By centralizing the patent translation process, you will ensure effective communication, coordination and quality assurance through every step of the patent translation process.

              Start with high quality patent translations

              The risks and financial ramifications of submitting low quality translations during international patent filing cancel out any savings derived from using a low-cost provider. Getting the patent properly translated right from the start is worth the cost – and is likely to save you money in the long run.

               

              Questel

              A world leader in intellectual property and innovation management.

              • Patent
                • IP Intelligence Software
                • IP Management Software
                • Preparation & Prosecution Copilots
                • Patent Services
                • Patent Strategy & Administration
              • Trademark
                • Clearance & Watch Platform
                • IP Management Software
                • AI Assistants for Trademark Productivity
                • Trademark, Design & Domain Services
              • Innovation
                • Innovation Management Software
                • Innovation Services
              • Solutions
                • Artificial Intelligence in IP
                • Integrated IP Ecosystem
                • Solutions for Law Firms
                • Solutions for Life Sciences
                • Solutions for R&D and Innovation
                • Language Solutions
              Stay in touch !
              Your email address is only used by Questel to send you the news, updates and offers. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter. For more information about the Processing of your Personal Data by Questel, please visit our pivacy policy page.
              © 2025 Questel. All rights reserved.
              Consent choices
              • Cookies policy
              • Data Privacy Policy
              • Legal notice