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Patent Translation Services

Translators with hands-on patent-firm experience translate with a clear understanding of what can go wrong downstream of the translation.

Who handles your translation

Cygnapia has a team of several patent translators including our representative. What they share is hands-on experience at patent firms.

Patent translation is not simply about rendering a specification into another language. Translators must choose wording with an awareness of whether the translation might invite unnecessary office actions, or lead to interpretations unfavorable to the applicant.

At Cygnapia, translators with patent-firm experience handle every project. The knowledge gained through patent practice informs our day-to-day translation work.

We also have a Chinese-native translator on our team, enabling native-level handling of both Traditional and Simplified Chinese.

Translator selection criteria

At minimum, every registered translator at Cygnapia meets the following conditions:

  • At least three years of hands-on experience at a patent firm
  • An understanding of patent practice including prosecution and office-action work
  • Direct review of experience and ability by our representative

Technical fields

Our principal technical fields are:

  • Information technology (particular strength)
    Software, IoT, telecommunications, control systems, image processing, game software, VR/AR, encryption, AI and machine learning, etc.
  • Mechanical engineering
    Hydraulic systems, aircraft, marine vessels, diesel engines, air-conditioning equipment, printing machinery, construction equipment, etc.
  • Electronic circuits and semiconductors
    Semiconductor manufacturing equipment, semiconductor devices, inspection equipment, electronic circuits of all kinds, LCD and OLED displays, etc.
  • Medical devices
    Catheters, endoscopes, biosensors, ultrasound diagnostic equipment, etc.
  • Chemistry and biotechnology
    Organic chemistry, polymer materials, inks and toners, battery materials, semiconductor materials, surfactants, etc.

Language pairs

  • Japanese โ‡„ English
  • Japanese โ‡„ Chinese (Traditional and Simplified)
  • English โ‡„ Chinese (Traditional and Simplified)

How we safeguard quality

To safeguard the quality of patent translation, we run a multi-stage check process.

  1. First-pass translation An experienced patent translator drafts the text while referring to the style guide and prior translations.
  2. Translation review A second translator cross-checks source and target to verify completeness, accuracy of meaning, and the appropriateness of terminology choices.
  3. Multi-stage checks Omissions, numerical and figure-number mismatches, and inconsistent terminology are verified through multiple methods.
  4. Final review A full read-through of the target text alone confirms that it reads naturally in the target language and aligns with the style guide.

Applicant-specific optimization

Patent translation quality also depends on each applicant's circumstances. For the same technical content, the preferred wording and expressions vary by applicant.

For each project, we analyze the applicant's prior published patent gazettes and choose terminology and expressions tailored to that applicant.

When clients provide revision feedback, we accumulate that input and build a system to avoid repeating the same issue in subsequent projects.