German translation: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What german translation is

A German translator converts text between English and German, handling formal and informal address, compound terms and local conventions for your document. German is the standard language in Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland and Belgium, and the readers' country affects spelling and vocabulary.

Signs you need it

  • Your readers are in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, and you need text that fits the local usage.
  • You have a contract, certificate or notice that must be read in German with exact terms.
  • You are publishing a website, product manual or course in German and want it to read naturally.
  • You have a German document that must be read in English for a business, legal or personal purpose.
  • A machine translation has produced very long compound words that your readers would split or phrase differently.
  • You need the translation to use the formal Sie or the informal du in a way your readers expect.

What the pro does

  • Confirms the readers' country and the form of address, Sie or du, before translating.
  • Builds a glossary of names, product terms and recurring phrases, with the German term for each.
  • Translates the text, handling noun cases, gender and compound words so the German reads naturally.
  • Checks dates, figures, names and addresses, including the formats German documents usually use.
  • Reviews the translation for natural phrasing, then returns the file with notes on the choices to approve.

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • Word count or page count, and the number of documents.
  • Country or region the readers are in, which affects spelling and vocabulary.
  • Subject complexity, such as legal, medical, technical or marketing text.
  • Formatting, such as tables, forms or design files.
  • Whether a second reviewer checks the German text.
  • Deadline for delivery.

What a written quote should spell out

  • The word count or page count, and the language direction.
  • The country the translation targets, and the spelling conventions used.
  • The glossary step, and who approves the terms.
  • Whether a second review is included.
  • The file format returned, and whether the layout is recreated.

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Which country will read this translation?
  • Will you use Sie or du, and why?
  • How do you handle long compound terms and technical words?
  • Will a second person review the German text?
  • Can you keep the layout of my forms or tables?
  • Can you show a sample passage on a subject like mine?

Red flags

  • Gives one German version for all readers without asking where they are.
  • Leaves the text in English word order with German words swapped in.
  • Changes names, dates or figures in the translation.
  • Sends a machine translation with no human review and presents it as professional work.
  • Cannot explain the choice of formal or informal address.

What you can do yourself

You can list the readers' country, the names and terms that must stay the same, and whether the tone should be formal or informal, then have a German speaker read a draft. Hire a translator when the document is official, will be published to customers, or contains legal, medical or technical terms where a wrong word would change the meaning.

Licenses and permits

German translation is not commonly licensed, so a license is usually not required for this work. Check with the office or organization that will receive the document, since some set their own rules for the translations they accept, and ask the translator for German samples in your subject as proof of skill.

German translation questions

Should I use Sie or du?

Use Sie for documents, official notices and most business writing. Du suits friendly marketing aimed at a younger audience. Choose before translating, since changing it later means editing the whole text.

Will German translations be much longer than English?

They can be, because German often joins words into compounds and uses more cases. Tell the translator about any layout limit, such as a fixed-size form or a banner, so the text can be fitted.

Are names translated?

Names of people and most companies stay as they are. Place names may have a German form. Agree the list in the glossary before translating.

Pro reviewers

Pros who offer german translation remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.

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