The Need for Translating Licensing Agreements

You finally landed a deal with an offshore vendor and were presented with a 35 page licensing agreement. And since you were over the moon after bagging the dream offer, you didn’t try to fully understand all the nitty-gritty involved in the agreement that was presented to you in a foreign language and signed on the dotted lines. Later you went back home and hired a third party service provider to market the licensed product and boom! You are in a deep hole.

As per the initial agreement you had to get prior approval from the licensor before being associated with a third party service provider. And since you didn’t adhere to the conditions, the original licensor filed a lawsuit against you for violating the terms of the agreement and you were made to shell out a hefty price for this costly mistake.

The above scenarios could have been easily avoided if you had opted for the services of a specialized translation service provider. Yes, you need an expert in this situation. And this is because a general translation service provider for sure will be able to translate a licensing agreement, but since they don’t have any knowledge of legal or business nuances used in the document, there will always be a question mark on the quality of the translated piece. Inaccuracies or mistakes in translation may land you on the wrong side of the law.

Licensing agreement translation is a complex procedure that demands accuracy, consistency, confidentiality and meticulous attention to details that can only be provided by the joint efforts of many experts including lawyers, project managers, professional translators, editors and proof-readers. Hence be careful and always opt for the services of a specialized translation service provider. And when it comes to choosing a service provider, opt for a firm that already has a sound reputation in the market, as they are a more reliable choice compared to startups. Also do your research and take a look at the client testimonials and reviews that is available all over the internet, before finalizing your choice. This will help you get a better understanding about their capability and the level of service they provide.

Given that improper interpretation of licensing agreements can put your reputation at stake, never give in to something less than the very best in quality and expertise.