6 Benefits of Working with A Specialist Patent Translator—and How to Choose the Right Partner

• 1. A Single Point of Contact 

Patent translation is a detailed and complex process requiring in-depth knowledge of the language pair and patent and technology field. For this reason, many companies still hand their patent translation projects to their patent attorney firms, which work, in turn, with multiple patent translation companies. However, consolidating all your patent translation needs with a single specialist has three major benefits: 

• It increases your control and oversight.
• It allows your chosen translation partner to become more familiar with your organization’s terminology and workflow, building efficiency with every project.
• It enables you to improve consistency across patent translations by building translation memories and glossaries and centralizing patent translations in a single system. 

While many patent translation firms offer solutions for specific language pairs, not every provider has experience and knowledge across every language or technology sector. Assessing patent translation companies by industry experience and language reach can help you create an initial shortlist for your potential partner. 

• 2. A Comprehensive Onboarding Plan  

It is critical to properly onboard your chosen patent translator company at the project’s inception. This is the time to get your teams aligned and establish key logistics that will save time and control costs as your project gets underway. When selecting a provider, be sure to discuss who will be responsible for managing projects, how invoices will be handled, how communications should flow, etc. 

As in any industry, improper planning can result in the need to rush to catch up, which can cause costs to rise quickly and significantly. Make sure you choose a patent translation firm with proven onboarding expertise, effective project management tools, and the resources to support you at times of peak demand.  

• 3. Access to a Wide Network of Specialist Patent Translators 

As part of the initial onboarding process, your translation partner should identify specific patent translator(s) for your upcoming projects. Pre-determining the appropriate translator(s) from their network is a key step for ensuring that these individuals will be available when your project is ready to launch. 

When choosing between patent translation firms, it’s important to select a provider who can demonstrate experience successfully managing IP translation projects in your field. If the patent translation companies you use don’t already specialize in your industry, finding a subject matter expert with the appropriate background may cost more, which is a charge the translation company will pass along to you. 

Likewise, if a subject matter expert can’t be found for your project in time, another experienced translator may accept the project but will likely need to dedicate more time to reviewing reference materials, further increasing the project’s expense. 

• 4. Competitive Costs, Without Negatively Impacting Quality 

Patent translation is never an area to cut corners. Taking the time to ensure accuracy from the start may cost more upfront, but low-quality deliverables can have serious financial implications. For example: 

• If you receive an office action from a foreign patent office, you’ll need to translate the office action and your response first, and then apply the office’s requested changes.
• In the event of challenges or litigation, inaccurate translations can become a resource-draining nightmare. Worst case scenario, a poorly translated word or phrase can invalidate your patent or render it obsolete. However, even if your company wins, you may be required to invest a significant amount of time and money into defending your patent due to translation ambiguity. 

It’s smarter to allocate the appropriate budget to a proven patent translation partner with a commitment to quality. ISO 17100 (Translation Services Management)-certified partners, such as Questel, have been independently evaluated and found to have a clear, repeatable process for controlling translation quality. 

• 5. Translation Memory Tools for Accuracy and Consistency 

There are many instances of specific terms and phrases in patent applications and supporting materials. As a result, patent translation firms can streamline the translation process by using technologies, such as translation memories, termbases, and controlled use of computer (machine) translations. 

• Translation Memory: In its simplest form, translation memory (TM) is a technology tool that identifies all the instances of certain words or phrases that have been previously translated and then translates them consistently across documents. Using TM decreases the overall number of words requiring translation, which reduces your overall costs.
• Term Bases/Glossaries: During onboarding, your chosen translation provider should work with you to define specific terms that need to be translated exactly to your specifications. Once the list is complete, it will go into a term base (or glossary), ensuring these phrases are consistently translated across all your future projects.
• Machine Translation: The controlled use of machine translation (MT) has the potential to lower costs and accelerate turnaround time for certain projects, such as high-volume or low-priority translations. When comparing patent translation companies, consider whether they are harnessing the potential of AI to save you time and effort, as well as streamline translations. For example, Questel uses the smart application of AI translation technologies to automate translations for clients, providing a first draft for expert review, undertaking post-editing and quality checks, and creating workflows to enable easy analysis of quality, price, progress, and capacity. Find out more about our approach to AI and IP. 
   
• 6. Comprehensive International Patent Filing Support 

Patent translation companies with experience providing international filing support can help you streamline your filings. Those deeply familiar with patent filing in every corner of the globe can not only proactively steward your applications through the process but should also save you the cost associated with working with multiple providers. 

However, few patent translation firms have the necessary filing expertise or knowledge of jurisdictional differences. As the world’s number one for global management of foreign filings, Questel is unrivaled in our ability to support your patent filing support needs, whether you choose the PCT and national phase, Paris Convention, EP validation, or Unitary Patent route. 

Patent translation may seem just a formality, but it is the crucial penultimate step of the process. Your company has invested years into developing its valuable IP, so it's vital not to compromise that investment by rushing or skimping on the final phase of the process.  

The "right" patent translation provider should work with you to support and enhance your patent filing program. By taking the time to assess patent translation firms, companies, agencies, and language service providers according to the criteria set out above, you can be sure to choose a partner who will help you reap the benefits today and in the future.