German translation

Frequently asked questions about German translation

What is the position of the German language in the world?

In addition to Germany itself, German is also spoken in Austria, Switzerland, the province of South Tyrol (in northern Italy), and Liechtenstein. German is also one of the three official languages in Belgium as well as Luxembourg. In total, there are around 95 million speakers of German in the world. German is the most widely spoken native language in Europe and the eleventh most widely spoken language in the world, which makes it a very important language indeed. In addition, German is the first foreign language of around 15 million people. Germans and precision, as everyone knows, go hand in hand – German speakers do not forgive errors lightly. By ordering your German translations from our translation agency, however, you will never need to worry about this, because we always offer quality translations by experienced translators.

What are the main benefits of translating into German?

Germany is Europe’s strongest economy. Germany and economic prosperity have gone hand in hand for nearly 150 consecutive years since the unification of Germany in 1871. Therefore, translating your sales materials, website or product information into German provides access to Europe’s largest economy. The number of German speakers is growing rapidly. There is also potential in translating into German because German business is characterised by a quality-oriented, professional and successful image. This image also extends to the German language. As a result, marketing communication in many companies is in German in order to provide consumers with the impression of quality from the very first moment. Volkswagen, for example, left its catchphrase “Das Auto” untranslated for years when entering a new market, in order to introduce their products as German-made and to highlight the origins of the brand.

What are the most common requests for German translations?

Can you quickly translate this letter into German? This manual needs to be translated from German into English. I wish to have my website translated into German. These are some of the most frequent requests received by Transly translation agency. We offer translation from and into German of technical documents, sales materials, contracts, user manuals, marketing texts, product catalogues, medical texts, information sheets, certificates and letters. Our German translators and editors, who speak German as their native language, always do their best to ensure that the translation is accurate, polished and terminologically correct.

Why should I translate my website into German?

Numerous studies carried out in Europe and America confirm that when people search the Internet for information to purchase a product or order a service, they are most likely to make their purchase on a website that is either fully or at least partially in their mother tongue. The German population is not only affluent but also considerably large. Therefore, translating your website into German is a logical step. This is especially true if your products or services are oriented to businesses or if you are running an online business and can easily expand your supply chain into Germany. Our translators and project managers are well-versed in website translation projects and are always happy to advise you on the optimal way to translate your website.

Content creation in German and German-language text editing – what should one consider?

Our experienced German-language editors generally speak German as a native language. If the text is very important to you, it is always a good idea to have it checked out by an editor. If you need German-language content creation, in some cases it may be more appropriate to order content creation in English and then have it translated into German. If your company’s main market is Germany, it makes sense to order the copywriting service in German. Send us an e-mail and we will recommend the optimal action plan for you as well as find the best German-speaking copywriter for your project.

How is the price of the German translations determined?

Translation from German may be cheaper than translation into German. Some of our translators and editors live in Germany, which means you can rest assured that their German language skills are excellent, although it does slightly increase the price of the translation service. We also collaborate with German language translators who live in other parts of the world. The price of German translations is comparable to that of French and Finnish translations. For regular customers, in many cases, we offer a discount on any recurring translation segments.

What makes the German language interesting?

German is a very rich language – it has a total of 5. 3 million words, a third of which have only entered the language within the last hundred years. German is also famous for its extremely long words. For example Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften means “legal protection insurance companies” and Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung translates to “automobile liability insurance”. As another example, the word Lebensabschnittspartner means “beloved”. Like Russian, German has many words without direct equivalents in other languages. One such example is Kummerspeck, which literally translates to “grief bacon” and is used to refer to weight gained as a result of excessive emotional eating.

Translating German fiction – what to consider?

The German cultural sphere is wide and has a fascinating history. Even today, there are numerous widely undiscovered German-language texts that are of great interest to the academic community. German culture is full of philosophical, scientific, historical and religious literary works for which the time has never been better to be published in other languages. Translating such texts, however, requires talented translators with, ideally, at least a master’s-level education in philosophy, history or theology in addition to translation training. Our excellent translators have translated many German-language historical works.

What should one consider when entering the German market?

Germany is the fourth largest economy in the world and accounts for a fifth of the entire European GDP. The German market is estimated to be twice as large as the Russian market, for example. For this reason, Germany can be a very promising export country for European and other companies. The Germans do not forget. Ever. Thus, when entering the German market, the local business code must be observed as closely as possible.

• Be precise! Being late is a terrible sin in Germany.  If you are late to your first meeting by as little as five minutes, your entire undertaking can go up in smoke.
• Respect roles! In Germany, roles are firmly defined and hierarchy is important.  Always address your business partners politely by using their surname and title unless you have agreed otherwise.
• Dress neatly! Appropriate clothing is conservative and modest.  Men wear a dark suit and women wear dark formal clothing. Leave any garish ties and expensive jewellery at home.
• Choose your topics carefully! Personal matters are not discussed with business partners.  Discussing home life, religion, politics and – most importantly – your income, is out of the question. Suitable topics include, for example, the weather.
• Respect personal space! Avoid any physical contact.  The only exception is a mandatory brief but firm handshake at the beginning and end of every meeting. Germans do not like being patted on the shoulder.
• Make plans and stick to them! The Germans plan everything ahead and are extremely reluctant to change things.  Cancelling a meeting is even worse than being late.

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