Drawing & Captions
We are well aware that we need to take great care in translating patents. Today, however, we will talk about a less spoke-of topic that seems simple, but involves many more processes than one might imagine.
At the end of the specification, some patents include a set of drawings representative of the invention to be protected. Although it is not mandatory, the presence of these drawings is very important for understanding it. A well-presented figure can make it easier for evaluators to understand how the patent works, significantly helping the filing thereof. Especially in topics such as mechanics, computer science and engineering. Many of these patents are even initially created through figures, which will then be used as the basis for the text that will explain their workings. Therefore, although relegated to the final part of the document, the drawings are by no means less important than other parts.
How then does the process of translating captions work, and why is this process so intricate? As we said, the drawings are an integral part of the document, and serve as a visual aid for that industrial property application. Therefore, the translation of any terms present in them must necessarily correspond to the same terms used in the text. The lack of uniformity in translation can generate serious errors of interpretation here and many doubts in the evaluation phase thereof. In addition, editing texts in drawings is not a very difficult process, but it can be quite laborious. Tables and graphs transformed into images will need a careful adaptation so that the translations fit into restricted spaces, without affecting the understanding of the image as a whole. Text boxes can get lost during formatting and end up in completely different locations. And it is not always possible (or even recommended) to redo an entire image to allow a better reading. A truly delicate process!
At R&A Translators, not only do we take care to assure the translation of the captions of a drawing perfectly harmonize with the text, but we are also mindful of the presentation of this image at the end. In this sense, we have an exclusive formatting team that works on image editing to deliver the best possible project to our customers, so they do not have to worry about details that many do not expect to have within such short deadlines.
We are always at-the-ready to show in detail how this process works and talk about how to best meet the needs of our customers. If you are interested in learning more, please contact us through our emails and/or phone numbers available on our website.
We look forward to hearing from you soon! 😊
