5 effective ways to ensure an excellent patent translation project in 2023

There’s no denying that more and more businesses are expanding their market internationally. And to get an excellent foothold in new environments, it’s vital to distinguish one’s company with something distinct. Coming up with an idea for our business is one thing. Another essential part is protecting it from being stolen. Here come the patents. 

Generally, a patent refers to an exclusive right for inventions. They could be a product or a process providing new technical solutions. Additionally, the patent will protect the inventions from being commercially exploited by outsiders. Hence the patent owner can stop or prevent others from distributing, importing, selling, using, or even making the subject of the patent. 

Patent translation defined

Now that almost all businesses are going global, you, as a company, would also want to present the patents to prospective investors and distributors. Getting a patent translator to convey the message effectively would be beneficial. They work on translating documents needed for a successful patent application. It’s a certified translation as the process involves legal validation and deals with various official documents and specific languages. 

In some cases, companies add technical translation to the patent translation project. 

How to get the best patent translation project?

A well-made patent translation project will depend on who works on the project and their qualifications. Hence, before considering one, look at the following insights to guide you. 

1. Check the agency’s background. It would be best to check the company’s reputation first, performance, and experience. Look for a company that can effectively work on your project based on your timetable. Skilled patent translators are relatively rare, so you must get a provider with a vast network of excellent translators. 
2. Assess the types of translators. The patent translation project is not just some straight translation, then finished. It can involve a tedious process. Additionally, you cannot select some translators in the market. They must be experts in the field where your patent belongs. A provider with a large pool of translators gives clients more choices.
3. The cost. Getting a patent translation project also means investing money. Hence, you must ensure you get the most out of the investment. Get a provider who can work with your designed turnaround time. Before choosing an agency, get quotations from various providers. You can compare their costs against the services they offer. 
4. See the translation tools they use. Patent documents can be challenging to interpret. Word choice is vital to protect your IP from competitors. From the beginning, glossaries, termbases, and translation memory tools will establish key phrase consistency. Some providers have tools that can specifically detect patent vocabulary in some cases. 
5. Quality. Efficiency and accuracy are the two most essential elements in patent translations. Besides the tight quality control methods, your provider must be able to meet turnaround times without compromising any phase of the translation process. As you already know, your patent translation project still has to go through the ropes with investors and prospective partners. The last thing you want to present is lousy and incompetent documents. 

Why is a patent translation project expensive?

Patent translators are relatively rare, unlike regular translators in the industry. Thus, it makes the services they render rather costly. They are the breed of translators with specialized skills necessary for translating complex legal patent languages and industry jargon. 

However, you should also know the costs vary per industry, with pharmaceuticals and biotech sectors spending the most on average. In some cases, the cost will also depend on the average income of the country involved. Those with lower costs of living will relatively have lower translation costs.