Q1: What cares should be taken in translating Japanese patent applications into English ones? Describe problems found in translated versions of Japanese patent applications and clues to good-quality translations.
A1: The primary objective of technical reporting is to transmit information in a simple, direct and clear manner so that the information can be readily understood by at least patent office examiners and prosecuting patent attorneys. Japanese language is based on entirely different grammatical rules which carry over into literally translated English-language applications. The problem of counterparts of Japanese patent applications is that the translations are in non-idiomatic English. The following are examples of problems common to Japanese-origin foreign applications and cares that should be taken to avoid the problems.
a) It is better to use concrete nouns than abstract nouns.
I.e., The fuel tank was deformed. is better than Fuel tank deformation was present.
b) Completely superfluous words should be eliminated. I.e., which are, that are, in the case of, it can be seen.
c) Circumlocutions should be avoided. It is better to use fewer words if possible. I.e., use therefore instead of for this reason, because instead of due to the fact that.
d) They say things indirectly and weakly rather than directly and vigorously, and they use more words than their direct equivalents. Indirect expressions often begin with There are, There is, It was, It is, Such as. For example, The synthetic material is apparently better than the natural. is better than It appears that the synthetic material is better than the natural.
e) Involved sentences are difficult to read and understand because the flow of thought is not straightforward. These sentences are often long, made up of a plurality of disjointed clauses, and contain a large number of prepositions, especially the preposition of. Japanese based foreign applications are especially prone to this problem.
f) Too long sentences, four or more lines, contain too much information and should be broken up.
g) The passive voice is vague. It is better to use the active voice. I.e., The presence of metals that act as catalyst also accelerates oxidation. instead of Oxidation tendency is also accelerated by the presence of metals that act as catalyst.
h) Avoid vague pronouns such as it, this, one unless the subject for which the pronoun stands for is immediately evident.
i) The extensive use of i.e., e.g. should be avoided.
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