Based in Japan, Neil McArdle has a PhD in physics and optoelectronics and ten years of research experience. He has worked for fifteen years as a patent, technical and scientific translator, specializing in research documents, patent applications and other documents related to patent prosecution. Neil founded his own specialist translation company ten years ago. His clients include patent attorneys, major Japanese manufacturers, research institutes, hospitals, laboratories and national and private universities across Japan. He also has clients in Asia Pacific, Europe, and the US.
What value do your services offer your clients?
Clients appreciate my own and my team’s specialist knowledge in a wide range of science and technology fields. They can talk to us as fellow scientists and engineers and know we have the technical background to accurately translate the essence of their inventions and scientific ideas. We also offer rigorous quality control processes, reasonable rates and fast turnaround time.
What feedback do you get?
Clients say that our high quality saves their staff valuable time on checking and fixing errors, and our translations make it easy for everyone in the patent prosecution process to understand their inventions. Clients often report gaining new insights when working with us, clarifying ideas that may have been vaguely expressed in the original document.
When clients are looking for patent and technical translation services, what should they consider?
Translators should have field-specific knowledge, expertise in source and target languages, and several years’ experience dealing with patent-related documents. Translations should be rigorously checked, for accuracy, clarity, and fidelity to the original. Even seemingly minor mistranslations and other errors can be fatal, changing the entire technical idea.
Are there any mistakes first-time clients make when sourcing technical translation services?
First-time clients often think of translations as a commodity and may choose cost over guaranteed quality. In the same way that you would want a good lawyer to protect your valuable inventions, you also need a qualified translator.
Do you have any other insights or tips for those seeking translation services?
Work closely with your translation provider, clarifying the meaning of any specialized terms or ambiguous parts of your documents. No-one will read and scrutinize your document as closely as your translator! It is not until you try to render the text into another language that you realize improvements can often be made.
