the multinational patented

B D Finch Dec 21, 2018:

@Daryo Thanks for the explanation. I admit that I was thinking of the whirly things on helicopters. :(

Daryo Dec 21, 2018:

this "rotor" IS part of the braking system - it's the equivalent of the "disc" in disc brakes for cars.

And you have the same problem with cars - not only brake pads get worn out, the disc also gets thinner with time until becoming dangerously thin.

So any kind of "reminder/alert" that this "rotor" (the equivalent of a the disc in a car's disc brake) is getting dangerously thin / worn out is certainly a useful feature. I don't see any need to assume missing elements (unexpressed/omitted key points) although some words might be missing that would make for a better style.

BTW with worn out brakes, the danger is in "not much/diminishing braking power" and finally in the extreme, just the whole system disintegrating and the mangled parts locking the wheel - which would be related to "to avoid locking-up brake and crashing".

But the patent can only be about "warning that the rotor is getting too thin".

OTOH we would probably agree that it would do lots of good to these Chinese companies if the translations they need where done by teams involving specialised translators from target countries that know how the translated texts would be perceived by the target audience.

B D Finch Dec 20, 2018:

@Daryo The problem here is deciding how far it's OK for a translator to guess at meanings. My own view is that guessing should be avoided unless one is practically certain of being right and the client should always be informed about guesses. While "internationally patented" is obvious, what it relates to is not and there may well be some missing text here: probably "warning system" or something similar. However, when text is missing, there is always the risk of underestimating how much is missing (a word or two, a sentence ...).

To give an example of the dangers, your guess at the meaning of the rest of the sentence is different from mine and either could be correct. While you interpret "to avoid locking-up brake" to mean "the efficiency of the brakes is wearing off", I interpret it to mean "to avoid the danger of the brakes seizing up". You interpret the wear to be to the braking system, while I rely on "to help rider change the rotor in time " and interpret it as meaning wear to the rotor, not the braking system.

Even if 90% of the time an error in this sort of material will have no consequences, by guessing you risk being in the 10% and the consequences might be serious.

Daryo Dec 20, 2018:

Same story as for "one-arm tightening"

It's written in some kind of telegraphic style, Taiwan Chinese English version, but it's fairly easy to decipher:

multinational patented = internationally patented

PCT – The International Patent System
The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) assists applicants in seeking patent protection internationally for their inventions, helps patent Offices with their patent granting decisions, and facilitates public access to a wealth of technical information relating to those inventions. By filing one international patent application under the PCT, applicants can simultaneously seek protection for an invention in a very large number of countries

https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/

As for "wearing-off reminder" there is ONLY ONE ghit https://scs.en.taiwantrade.com/product/scs-wisdom-disc-rotor... but the meaning is again fairly easy to guess:

"some system that reminds you that the disc part of your braking system is becoming dangerously thin (/is being worn out) and the efficiency of the brakes is wearing off"

Thierry Darlis (asker) Dec 18, 2018:

Agree with you. Your reply corresponds to what I thought. Thanks

B D Finch Dec 18, 2018:

@Asker I'm sure you are aware that "The multinational patented" doesn't make sense and nor does "with wearing-off reminder". This is clearly written by somebody with a very limited grasp of the English language. I would guess that they meant to say that an internationally patented something-or-other provides a warning about wear to the rotor, and does so in time to enable the user to avoid a, possibly fatal, accident. I suggest you contact your Client and ask them for clarification.