Translators in the field of intellectual property are superb linguists, who not only have command of a second language, but also know the terminology in multiple specialist fields. Why do we say that?
First of all, we should define what we mean by intellectual property translators, and why their work is so vital to the international economy. By protecting intellectual assets, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are a key element in nurturing innovation, creativity, and economic growth. In IPR – the fields of patents, trademarks and copyright – there is a range of situations when translation from one language to another is required. In many cases, a qualified professional specialist native-speaker translator is needed. In other cases, machine translation is appropriate – and the European Patent Office (EPO) offers their own machine translation service in 32 languages. So the next question arises – when to use a machine and when to work with one of these superhuman professionals?
The explanation the EPO gives for when to use their automated service is clear: “The translations provided by Patent Translate are not legally binding. They are intended to give you the gist of a patent or patent-related document, and to help you determine whether it is relevant.” This is a wonderful service for attorneys needing to assess a document – and it is both instant and free.
The requirement for human professional translation, though, includes for example:
- Litigation documents, including expert witness reports and affidavits, judgments and court orders, filings and pleadings.
- Copyright and industrial design documents.
- Trademark applications, descriptions of goods and services, and evidence of use.
…so whenever a translation must be relied upon for legal purposes as opposed to just for information, it must be performed by a professional human translator.
It must be said that the humans that perform this work are amazing! Superhuman, you might say! Not only must they be superb linguists with the ability to produce a translation in their mother tongue that reads as authentically as if it were created in the target language, but on top of that they need to understand the specialist legal niceties and terminology of the intellectual property world. If all that wasn’t enough, they need to understand the subject matter of a patent, trade mark or copyright document.
In the case of patents, the subject matter might necessitate an in-depth understanding of the most complex of technologies. Patents can be required in technical fields spanning electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering… almost anything really. With such a broad range of specialisms and technologies, combining with specialist legal terminology, we say our patent translators speak a whole extra new language by itself: Patentese. The Patentese language also has very specific limitations on sentence structure.
Good intellectual property translations will withstand potential litigation in a foreign jurisdiction – a good reason to partner with a translation provider who really understands the world of IPR. And the people producing the translations are just amazing.
We like to think that we know our stuff about intellectual property translation – don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss your brief!