Checking Translation for Correctness from Various Angles

I am in charge of translating patent documents relating to information processing, electronics and electrical engineering, semiconductor devices, mechanical engineering, and the like.

I have deeply respected engineers engaged in their works with a strong spirit of inquiry and craftsmen who challenge the impossible and do all kinds of things to make it possible. Needless to say, research and development is extremely important. So I find delight in engaging in the intellectual property translation that relates to the protection of intellectual property and technology rights and, at the same time, always keep in mind my responsibility as a translator.

Based on my experience of working as a technical translator, I have a thought that an accurate translation is to accurately convey the meaning of the original. On this account, I take time to research related articles to confirm the point, the meanings of words and phrases, and the like, and try to use accurate and concise terms as far as possible on the basis of the research in translation. Additionally, I keep in mind that a patent translator is required to make a translation of the application not rejected by a patent examiner.

I will continue my effort constantly taking a stance of learning to provide translations satisfying the customers by paying close attention from various angles in addition to the above. (T.A)

Aiming for Translation that can't be done by a Machine

It’s been more than 30 years since I started my career as a technical translator and for the latter half I’ve been doing patent translation. In these years, I’ve been spending tense days, being alert to collecting information coming from my eyes and ears, and doing my best to keep up with continuously and rapidly evolving advances in technology.

A translator is a loner in essence, but I’ve come to think that I’m linked to the outside world by the development of the Internet. Above all things, I’ve been continuously supported by lateral communication with fellow translators in many ways. Many of them have been trying to improve their skills by learning from others and to exchange information with each other. They sometimes severely pointed out my faults and gave me a supportive push with encouraging words. Such lateral communication will definitely serve as a great motivating force for me to spend most of my time alone facing PC from now on.

Recently, a big wave of changing traditional translation to AI translation, that is, neural machine translation (NMT) has come to our attention. For many translators, a bright future may not be guaranteed by any means. We have much less amount of knowledge than AI that can operate without any mistakes. But I’d like to believe that human ability will continue to play a major role in translation. Therefore, I will spare no effort and aim for translation using a more human approach that can’t be done by a machine.（N.T.）

Endangered Species ?

It was reported recently that last year 817 Asiatic black bears were caught and killed in Akita Prefecture. This is almost 60 percent of the estimated existing number.

As a member of KUMAMORI (Japan Bear & Forest Society, a Japanese conservation group), I was devastated. The Asiatic black bears are designated as endangered. Recently, each time I hear the word “endangered species,” I think, “This is not just somebody else’s problem.”

Currently in the translation world, great strides have been made in machine translation, “Google Translation” being typical. This technology is obviously growing in popularity. Sometimes I even get a mental picture of us translators being pushed toward “endangered species” status.

Many observers comment that even the most advanced machine translation software cannot satisfactorily handle patents. We cannot deny, however, that the demand for machine translation, used as an aid, is increasing.

Occasionally, I look closely into the text of a few translated patents, and I feel there are still areas where machine translation software just cannot handle the job. Even today, most of the Japanese patent manuscripts handed to us translators have unclear sentences here and there, and errors in descriptions, probably because too little time is allowed for the preparers to work on manuscripts. A typical example, one that challenges most translators, is accurately identifying the relationship between a long modifying phrase and the word or phrase it modifies. This, I think, is one of the jobs that machine translation cannot yet handle.

Thanks to threats from advanced machine translation, I believe that the translation industry is demanding ever-growing skills from us patent translators. My plan is to remain a “thriving species” rather than an endangered one by providing the quality that persuades my clients to go to skilled translators rather than machines. (S.O.)

Being Word Conscious and Maintaining my Interest in Technological Advancement

Since I started my career as a patent translator about 25 years ago, I have repeatedly said, “If you receive a reward, even as little as one yen, you will be a professional.” I believe that we must not make clients feel that they have lost money by paying for translation work.

I always keep them in mind to complete my work on time, do my work as directed, be careful not to make a careless mistake, spare no effort to look up in dictionaries, be word conscious, and maintain my interest in technological advancement.

Given the specialized and legalistic nature of patent specifications, I believe that the right way to gain the trust of our clients is to work toward accuracy at a steady pace. I will continue trying to do my best to make high-quality translations that will please my clients. (T.T.)

Toward Better Translation

The most important thing for me to translate a specification is to express the content of the original as accurately as possible, which holds true for translations in general. To this end, reading the original is very important. I spend a considerable amount of time reading the original to avoid misinterpretations. I also consult the literature cited and search for related technology on the Internet, trying to understand the problems of the related art and the advantages of the invention correctly.

Prior to beginning to translate a specification from Japanese to English, I sometimes have a chance to contact a person who drafted the specification or will be able to answer my questions concerning the specification. It is better to have the person in charge check, alter, or correct the content beforehand, leading to improvement in the quality of the translation.

The translator is one who assists clients in getting patents in foreign countries. I want to be a translator who is able to help clients with translation in a manner to make the technique of the invention clear and easy-to-understand, rather than just to translate it into another language word for word. (A.M.)