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In January, we reported on a big breakthrough in negotiations on adopting a European-wide patent that would have big ramifications for many of our clients and for the translation industry as a whole. Under the current patent system, after the EPO grants a patent, the holder is still required to translate the patent into the official languages of most EU member states where they want the patent validated. Several countries (including France and Germany) have waved this requirement and others (including Denmark and Sweden) only require a translation of the patent’s claims. Still, the European Commission estimates that validating a European patent in 13 EU countries costs about $26,000, of which $18,000 is spent on patent translations. Compare that to the far lower cost of $2,400 to file a patent in the United States.
Morningside relies on expert, professional translators to prepare our clients’ technical and legal translations. We also require that the translator be a native speaker of the target language (the language the document is being translated into). Why?
A native speaker has a grasp of linguistic nuances, idioms, terminology, and culture that are vital in preparing an accurate and localized translation. Their larger vocabulary and familiarity with even obscure phrases means they will be far more adept at picking the ideal word or phrase in a given context.
Translating a document into multiple languages can be an expensive proposition. A user manual, product data sheet, or a patent application that needs to be translated for multiple countries and jurisdictions can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars.
What does it mean when a translation is certified? In the U.S., it means the translator and/or translation company has added a signed statement that the translation is accurate and correct to the best of their knowledge and ability. It may also be notarized to confirm the identity of the person signing the statement. Essentially, the certification creates a legal record which confirms that the translation was produced in good faith and according to translation standards and norms.
You may have noticed that it can take more words to say something in one language than in another. For example, it takes three words in French (s’il vous plaît) to accomplish what you can with one word of English (please). And in general, French and other romance languages are wordier than English. A document with 1,000 English words translated into French will convert into approximately 1,150 target words, a 15% increase in the document’s word count.