Science thomsonreuters.com

Is it more cost-efficient to bring translation services in-house? Close scrutiny suggests not.

As we navigate through this period of economic uncertainty, we can expect that the level of patenting activity will decrease to some extent. Many organizations, forced to rein in costs, are curbing their investments in intellectual property by significantly reducing R&D budgets or requiring their IP departments to more tightly manage expenses. For some, this might result in a decision to bring translation services in-house, versus finding a professional patent translations provider.

Why would such a drastic measure be a mistake for organizations? According to a recent report from the World Intellectual Property Organization, while the number of international filings dropped in 2009, filings in several Asian countries continued to grow. China boosted its total patent filing by 29.7 per cent from 2008, while Japan and South Korea also increased their patent filings in 2009 by 3.6 per cent and 2.1 per cent respectively. So despite the challenging global economic climate, the demand for translations to support foreign filings remains strong.

And what about the many larger organizations who, regardless of economic conditions, rely upon their in-house staff to perform translations? Many global companies employ professionals who are native speakers in a range of languages and who are also experts on a variety of subjects. But is this more cost-effective than outsourcing? On the face of it, it seems to make sense. On closer scrutiny, however, some cases show that the use of in-house staff may cause more problems and indeed lead to cost inefficiencies. There are many benefits in partnering with a patent translation services provider.

The value of finding a patent translations provider: download the full article

• Privacy Policy
• About Us
• Press Room
• Product Logins
• Events
• Contact Us