Biotech Patent Translation in the UAE: Claims, Arabic and PCT

The claims set the scope of protection. In life-science patents, a few words decide that scope, and Arabic grammar gives more than one way to render each of them:

Claim wording	Why it matters	How we handle it
“comprising” vs “consisting of”	Open vs closed claim: “comprising” allows other ingredients, “consisting of” excludes them	Fixed Arabic equivalents (يشتمل على / يتكوّن من), used the same way in every claim
“a” / “at least one”	Singular or plural can narrow a claim	Rendered to keep “one or more” where the English allows it
“wherein”, “characterised in that”	Mark which features are new	Kept as separate clauses, in the order of the original
Dependent claim references	“The composition of claim 3” must point to the same claim	Claim numbering and references checked against the original
Ranges and units	“about 5 mg/kg”, “from 10 to 20 °C”	Figures and units kept as written, including “about”

For general legal terms that change meaning in Arabic, see legal terms machine translation gets wrong.

Sequence listings

Nucleotide and amino acid sequences are filed as a sequence listing (WIPO Standard ST.26 for international applications). The sequence data itself is not translated; only the free-text descriptions are, and they must match the description.

Drug and chemical names

We use the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) for active substances rather than a brand name, keep IUPAC chemical names and CAS numbers exactly as in the original, and add the English name in brackets where the Arabic term is not settled.

Gene, protein and strain names

Gene symbols, protein names, cell lines and deposit numbers stay in their original form. Translating them would make them impossible to search.

Drawings and figures

Labels and captions are translated so they match the terms in the description and claims.

A long biotech specification can run to hundreds of pages, so book the translation well before the deadline and agree a glossary with the agent first. Two deadlines drive most biotech filings:

• Paris Convention priority: 12 months from the first filing to claim priority in the UAE (art. 12 of Law 11/2021).
  
• PCT national phase: the UAE receives international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (art. 37). Patent agents commonly cite a 30-month national phase deadline from the priority date. Confirm the current deadline and translation timing with your patent agent, because missing it can end protection in the UAE.

Alongside the specification, the file often includes an assignment from the inventors, a power of attorney to the patent agent, the priority document and the applicant’s certificate of incorporation. Your agent will tell you which must be legalised; we translate and certify them. Recordals of later assignments and licences follow the same pattern as for trademarks; see trademark assignment and licence recordal translation.

If a patent is enforced or challenged before an onshore UAE court, the court works in Arabic, and the patent, expert reports and prior-art documents filed in another language need a certified Arabic translation. See translation for court-appointed expert proceedings. For clinical data, labelling and device files going to regulators, see clinical trial and medical device translation.

An unpublished application is a trade secret until the office publishes it. We work under NDA, keep unpublished specifications off public machine translation tools, and limit access to the people on the file. See AI translation tools and document confidentiality.

Does a UAE patent application need Arabic?

Yes. Under art. 11(8) of Federal Law No. 11 of 2021, the application and its attachments are submitted in Arabic and English, and a missing version is filed within the period set by the Executive Regulations.

Does the patent translation need an MOJ stamp?

Check with your patent agent. The law requires the Arabic and English versions; certification by an MOJ-licensed translator matters most for supporting documents and for translations filed in court.

Can you file the patent for me?

No. We are a legal translation company, not a patent agent. We work with your patent agent or in-house IP team and deliver the Arabic they file.

Who reviews the scientific terms?

Our legal translators work from an agreed glossary, and we ask the applicant or agent to review the claims before filing, because the inventors know the technology best.

How much does it cost?

From AED 80 per 200-word page for Arabic and English, AED 100 for French, AED 150 for German, Italian or Turkish, and AED 250 for other languages such as Chinese, Russian or Urdu (all excl. 5% VAT). Urgent work is priced on request, and large files receive discounts. Long specifications are quoted per file, with a timeline set against your filing deadline.

This article is general information about translation for patent filings and is not legal or patent advice. Ask a UAE-registered patent agent or IP lawyer about filing strategy, deadlines and the current requirements of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism.

Send the specification, claims and filing deadline for a quote and timeline. NDAs are available before you send unpublished material. Smart World Legal Translation is led by Dr. Hani Elimam (MOJ-licensed translator, AIIC member), has translated legal documents since 2014 and is rated 4.8/5 on Google. Send your documents on WhatsApp (+971 54 360 8305), email info@swlt.ae, or use our contact page.