Frequently Asked Questions About Our Translation Services
Whether you have questions about our processes, turnaround times, certified translations, or our quality standards under ISO 17100 and ISO 9001 – this page answers the most common questions from our clients. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to contact us directly: we’re happy to provide personal, no-obligation advice for your individual translation project.
It is not possible to quote binding prices without having seen the text. We need to get a sense of the text to be translated, its level of difficulty and its genre. Only then can a binding offer be made.
When setting our prices, we take into account the level of difficulty of the text supplied and the intended use of the translation. Thus, for the same volume of text and the same language combination, a higher price must be quoted for the translation of a complex technical manual intended for a wide audience than for the translation of a simple circular intended solely for internal use. Complex technical texts or promotional copy aimed at a broad audience require extensive research, a greater time investment and often multiple rounds of proofreading. To ensure an accurate translation of a high linguistic standard, it should be produced by well-trained, experienced specialised translators. Even in the translation industry, a high-quality product with appropriate quality control and guarantees cannot be achieved at rock-bottom prices. Before awarding a contract, it is therefore always important to bear in mind that a cheap but poorly executed translation – for example, of a website or a complex contract – can cause considerable damage to a company’s reputation or legal position.
The easiest and quickest way to edit texts is when we receive them in Word format. However, we also work with programmes such as Excel and PowerPoint, Adobe PageMaker, FrameMaker, QuarkXPress or AutoCAD, so you can provide us with the text to be translated in a wide variety of formats.
For orders that require detailed and precise information, please specify any special requirements for the translation using the order specification form we provide. These include: the purpose of the translation and its intended use, the target audience, the style, specialist terminology, layout, and any other requirements regarding form and content. If you do not complete the order specification form, we will work in accordance with the guidelines set out in our quality management system and the requirements of DIN EN ISO 17100.
We will produce your translation in the format of your choice. Unless otherwise requested, we will retain the formatting of the source text in the translation. Please let us know when you make your enquiry or place your order if you require a specific format for the translation. If the source text is in paper form or as a PDF file, the translation will be delivered in Word format.
The delivery date depends on the scope and complexity of the text provided, as well as our available capacity. Please specify your preferred delivery date in your enquiry. If we are unable to meet this deadline, we will let you know our earliest possible delivery date.
We do not charge a percentage-based rush surcharge.
If you require a translation that must be certified by a court-sworn or authorised translator, please let us know when you make your enquiry and/or place your order. Depending on the intended use, we may require the original of the text to be translated. You will receive the certified translation by post, bearing the translator’s original stamp and signature. However, we generally do not certify translations that were not produced by us.
We check translations produced by others, in accordance with the client’s wishes, for both accuracy of content and linguistically correct phrasing. Should it become apparent during proofreading that a translation is of very poor quality, a new translation is often a more sensible option than a very time-consuming revision.
Translators convert written texts from a source language into a target language, whilst interpreters convert spoken text orally from one language into another. Interpreting can be either consecutive (with a time lag) or simultaneous (almost in real time).
A translation produced by a translator whose native language is the target language. Only translators who translate into a language they have been familiar with since childhood possess the necessary linguistic intuition to formulate a text flawlessly in terms of content, language and style. This is particularly important for promotional texts or other texts intended for publication. As a matter of principle, our translations are produced by native speakers who possess the necessary specialist expertise and professional experience. Proofreading is then carried out by a translator whose native language is the source language.
Quality control is carried out by a second translator, the proofreader. Our translations are always proofread. This means that the proofreader compares the source text word for word with the translation to ensure that no omissions, typos or misinterpretations have crept into the translation.
We translate in the following language combinations, among others:
English – German, German – English, French – German, German – French, English – French, Italian – German, German – Italian, English – Italian, Spanish – German, German – Spanish, Portuguese – German, German – Portuguese, Dutch – German, German – Dutch, Danish – German, Finnish – German, German – Swedish, German – Norwegian, Polish – German, German – Polish, English – Polish, Russian – German, German – Russian, English – Russian, Polish – Russian, Estonian – German, Latvian – German, Lithuanian – German, Ukrainian – German, Georgian – German, Kazakh – German, Bulgarian – German, Albanian – German, Slovenian – German, Serbian – German, Croatian – German, Macedonian – German, Czech – German, German – Czech, German – Slovak, Slovak – German, Romanian – German, Hungarian – German, German – Hungarian, Greek – German, German – Greek, Turkish – German, German – Turkish, Chinese – German, Japanese – German, Vietnamese – German, Korean – German, Arabic – German, Persian – German, German – Persian, Hebrew – German, Thai – German, Vietnamese – German, Urdu – German.
We will be happy to provide you with further combinations on request.
The invoice issued for each order states the due date. Unless otherwise agreed, payment is due within 14 days of the invoice date. For first-time orders, a partial payment of half the order value is required.