Your Indian company invented a new industrial process and filed a patent with the Indian Patent Office. Now you want to protect it in Europe and the US through the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) route. Your patent attorney files the PCT application — and the specification, claims, and abstract, filed originally in Hindi, must be translated into English (or the designated country's language).

Twelve weeks later: "PCT application non-compliant. The international application claims and specification must be translated into English per PCT Rule 12. The translation quality is not acceptable — technical terms are inconsistent, claim language is ambiguous, and the translation does not faithfully reproduce the priority document. Per PCT Article 14, the application is deemed withdrawn if not corrected."

Your PCT application is deemed withdrawn. The priority date is lost. A competitor in Germany files the same process. Your R&D investment of ₹2 crore is now unprotected. A mistranslation cost you your global patent rights.

Why Patent Translations Get Rejected by EPO/WIPO

• Technical Term Inconsistency: Patents use precise technical terminology. If "सिलिकॉन" is translated as "silicon" in one claim and "silicone" in another — a fatal error for semiconductor patents — the examiner flags inconsistent scope. Patent translation requires term-consistent glossaries maintained across the entire specification.
• Claim Language Not Faithful to Priority Document: PCT Rule 12 requires the translation to be a faithful reproduction of the priority document. Claim amendments or paraphrasing = the translation is deemed defective and the application risks withdrawal under PCT Article 14.
• Abstract Not Translated Within Deadline: The abstract must be translated with the application. Missing or late abstract translation = PCT compliance failure.
• Incorrect Claims Numbering / Reference Signs: Patent drawings use reference numerals (1, 2, 3) that must be preserved exactly in translation. Mismatched reference signs = the examiner can't map claims to drawings = objection.
• No Certified Translator Statement: WIPO and EPO expect the translation to be certified — with a statement from the translator attesting accuracy. Missing = compliance objection.

How Ideal Lingua Protects Your Global Patent Rights

• Technical-Specialist Patent Translators: We assign translators with engineering/science backgrounds per patent domain — mechanical, chemical, pharmaceutical, software, electronics — ensuring technical term accuracy.
• Term-Consistent Glossary Management: Every technical term is maintained in a glossary across the entire specification, claims, abstract, and drawings — eliminating the silicon/silicone class of errors.
• PCT/EPO Compliance Formatting: Translation per PCT Rule 12, faithful to the priority document, with correct claims numbering and reference signs preserved. Certified translator statement included.
• National Phase Ready: Beyond PCT, we translate for national phase entry — EPO (English/German/French), USPTO, JPO, KIPO — per each office's translation requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Don't Let a Mistranslation Cost You Your Patent Rights

Your R&D is worth crores. Your patent is your competitive moat. Don't let a technical translation error hand your invention to a competitor.

Choose the corporate translation service trusted by BHEL, ISGEC, Zoho, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, and 500+ Indian corporates protecting IP globally since 2011.