ENGLISH TO ITALIAN TRANSLATION OF PATENTS.
DO YOU SPEAK LEGALESE?
LEGAL TRANSLATIONS: WHEN ENGLISH IS PATENT JARGON.
Patent translation is very specific, as it requires to deep dive into a specialised sector: just like any sector, it has got its own terminology, with sentences that have particular structure to them – so much so that it needs to be handled with great care. You don’t mess with patents!
I personally work on patent translation for the medical, chemical and pharmaceutical industry. During the terminology research phase, I like to be extra precise, careful and a little bit pedantic too: this specialised lexicon requires maximum attention and the utmost respect of those expressions typical of the patent jargon. This is also why patent translation – unlike creative texts – has to be truly literal: the goal is keeping the same meaning in Italian as well as faithfully reproducing repetitions and even errors, as they appear in the original.
PATENT TRANSLATION. SO PATENT, VERY MUCH A TRANSLATION.
Let’s talk about you – and a little bit of myself, too.
Clients who need an English into Italian patent translation are normally translation agencies or companies operating in the field of intellectual property (and therefore, patents). Are you one of them?
What I can give you is a translation that is faithful to the technical jargon and that follows the typical structure of a patent text. This means that my text will be translated and fully comprehensible to those who do not read English. And if you need a pharmaceutical, chemical or medical patent translated, you found the right person to help, as those are exactly my field of specialisation.
I have a trusted ally for this type of texts: I work with SDL Trados Studio, a computer-assisted translation software that allows me to save expressions and terms recurring in the text of a specific client for a specific sector. This is helpful to use them right every time they appear in the file and to maintain terminology consistency and coherence. So it’s good for me but mainly for you: your text will be carefully double-checked and the time to complete the work will go down.
Any questions? Here the most frequent:
- The turnaround for patent translation from English may differ from project to project: this depend on the length of the text, on the source language and the topic. In a perfect world, I can take it easy and allow enough time to research and study. In general, I can take around 1,500 words per day and a day or so for revision. Just send your file over and I’ll make sure my quote includes an estimated delivery date.
- Is your file a PDF or an image? No worries! Send it over and I’ll make sure my quote includes a breakdown of the cost for the graphic amends and/or transcription. If your file is in .doc format, it’ll be very easy and much faster to deal with. For the both of us, I promise.
- The file you need to translate does not fall under any of my specialisation fields? If that’s the case, I’m afraid cannot help. I do not have the skills to work outside my fields of expertise so I would like to save your time and mine – as well as a faux pas! Not to worry, though: get in touch and I’ll refer you to a colleague who can help.
- I know you want to ask me how much all this cost. Just like for the turnaround, there’s not a one-fits-all answer. The fee for a patent translation from English will depend on the number of words and the topic. Send your text over and I’ll be happy to provide a tailor-made quote for you.
Let’s sum it up, shall we?
To sum it up, for me to confirm if I can take on your patent translation, please:
- Send me the text you need translated (no drafts, only final versions in .doc);
- Tell me your ideal turnaround if any;
- Tell me what languages you need;
- Send me a corporate glossary or any reference material in existing translation;
- Provide any other info you deem appropriate to facilitate my task e.g. what format you need the file back.
With these info, getting you a quote is easy peasy.