An article from the July 7th edition of the Economist discusses how British law firms are expanding their global footprint. Unlike Dewey & Leboeuf which tried to grow too fast and ended up going bankrupt, London’s top 5 law firms are growing their revenues and profits at an impressive and steady pace and this is largely coming from growth in emerging markets. What could that mean in terms of professional legal translation?

Allen & Overy has recently opened up offices in Jakarta and Vietnam. Clifford Chance is bullish on China, the Middle East, and Brazil. And while the large number of Western firms moving into China has led to lower fees due to competition, China is still a hugely important and growing market for American and British law firms.

In terms of professional legal translation, more law firms overseas means a growing need for talented legal translators and multilingual support for global casework. And as global businesses themselves, law firms must prove compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) related to their foreign operations, which requires translating documents from various foreign offices into English.

No matter how you look at it law firms conducting business in multiple regions will require professional legal translation. Legal translation can present different challenges related to cost and efficiency. For high volumes of translation work, options including machine translation, online sifting, and document review should all be considered. Overcoming those challenges requires the right mix of technological and human support, and the right translation company to help guide you through the process.

More global companies than ever before are seeking to protect their intellectual property rights in China. They rightly view China as one of the world’s largest markets. We at Morningside specialize in patent translation and filing, and over the last five years, we have watched as China has shifted from a country that clients often file in to one they view as absolutely essential for IPR purposes. In 2012, Morningside is slated to translate and file more applications for national stage entry into China than ever before.

Of course the big question mark regarding filing in China continues to be the quality of patent protection and the widescale IP infringement that dissuades many global companies from filing there. This week, there was some encouraging news. China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) said it would increase enforcement to prevent IP infringement.  At a forum that included foreign diplomats and trade representatives, Wu Kai, deputy director of SIPO’s International Cooperation Department, said, “The Chinese government has attached great importance to this issue in recent years and made great achievements in legislation, enforcement, management, and training.”

It’s not clear if this constitutes a real change or just PR. After all, earlier this month China was once again at the top of the United States Trade Representative’s priority watchlist of countries that condone IP infringement.

Still, most experts agree that IP enforcement has improved in China, and patent holders are certainly investing considerable sums of money filing in China: In 2011, the number of applications surpassed 1.63 million, an increase of 33.6 percent over 2010. And filings grew from 63,000 in 2001 to 526,000 in 2011, an annual average increase of 23.6 percent.

Hopefully, China will follow through with improved IP laws and enforcement. If they do, we can expect patent filings in China to continue to increase, and global companies who seek IP protection in China to see significant ROI from this decision.

The need for pharmaceutical translation to tap into global drug markets isn’t news. But sales and growth forecasts for 2011 indicate that translations for China and other emerging markets will become more important than ever. IMS health (a pharmaceutical industry data company) predicts that the global drug market will grow 5 to 7% in 2011, to $880 billion. This is largely the result of impressive growth in prescription drug sales in 17 countries led by China, which alone is predicted to grow by 25-27% this year. The other 17 “pharmerging”  markets will see growth of 15-17%. These numbers are helping offset sluggish sales in pharmaceuticals in North America and Europe–sales in Canada and Europe’s five largest markets will increase only 1-3% this year.

What do these forecasts have to do with pharmaceutical translations? let’s take a closer look at the 17 countries ranked by IMS as high-growth “pharmerging” markets. Besides China, they also predict that Brazil, Russia, and India will experience double-digit growth in pharmaceutical sales. A tier 3 of fast-followers includes Mexico, Vietnam, Pakistan, Egypt, and Indonesia. Unlike North America and Europe, where an English translation is often sufficient for patent and regulatory purposes, tapping into most pharmerging markets requires pharmaceutical translation of numerous documents into multiple languages. For example, patent translations are required for securing IP rights for new products or processes in these markets. While patents for India and South Africa can be filed in English, for the rest, a translation of the full specification will be needed. For regulatory approval in the 17, dossiers, exhibits, and labeling must be translated into each of their official languages. And of course sales and marketing efforts must include expert translation and localization of websites, brochures, and promotional materials.

To sum up, growth in emerging markets poses big opportunities for drug companies but also a number of challenges. It’s critical to consider the ROI in these countries, particularly those with weak intellectual property protection. The added cost of pharmaceutical translations–which can be quite substantial–should also be taken into account.