翻訳コラム

特許の中間書類ということばがあり、具体的にこれは何を指すかというと、拒絶理由通知、意見書、拒絶査定、拒絶査定に対する不服審判です。つまり特許出願から特許になるまでの間の書類だから「中間」です。
厳密に言うと、特許になった後の異議申立、答弁書、無効審判請求は含まれません。
中間書類ということば自体を訳す場面がありますが、これにはいつも苦慮します。特許法にあることばではないため、参考にできる英訳がないからです。
「中間」ということばは、2点のちょうど中間点を連想しますが、中間書類は出願と特許の「間」を意味しており、中間点ではありません。そこでintermediate documentsと訳しています。
Intermediateを英英辞典, Merriam-Websterで調べると、" being or occurring at the middle place, stage, or degree or between extremes"という意味が記載されています(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intermediate)。中間書類はまさに「中間段階」で生じます。
「中間層」はintermediate layerと訳します。これも上層と下層の間という意味であり、挟まれているというイメージです。「中間」といっても、左右から等しい距離のある中間地点、あるいは左右の間であればどこでもよい地点を指すなど、様々な意味があることがわかります。

What do the words “patent intermediate documents" refer to?
They refer to A notice of reason for refusal, an argument, a decision of rejection, or an appeal trial against a decision of rejection, namely they refer to documents that are “between" the patent application and patent issuance.
Strictly speaking, the opposition, the written answer, and the request for an invalidation trial after the patent has been issued are not included.
I sometimes have to translate the words “intermediate documents" (“chukanshorui" in Japanese) and translating this always annoys me. The word “Chukanshorui" is not provided in Patent Law, so I cannot find a translated work to refer to as an example anywhere.
“Chukan" in Japanese reminds me of an exact middle point between two points while “chukanshorui" means documents filed or issued “between" the patent application and the issuance of the patent, but it does not mean an exact middle point. Accordingly, I use the words “intermediate documents" as a translation.
The English dictionary, “Merriam-Webster" says "being or occurring at the middle place, stage, or degree or between extremes" is the meaning of “intermediate"(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intermediate). Intermediate documents “occur exactly at the middle stage".
“Chukansou" in Japanese is translated as “intermediate layer", which means “between the upper layer and lower layer", namely sandwiched by two layers. I realized that the word “Chukan" in Japanese has various meanings, such as “the middle point located at the same distance from the right and the left ends" or “any point between the right and left ends".