Services
English to German Translation
I translate your texts from English into German.
The focus of my work is on translating texts that do not lend themselves easily to being translated with the help of TM or MT:
- essays
- specialist articles
- studies
- journalistic articles
- presentations
- press releases
Many translations betray their origin in the source language – they somehow just don’t “sound right”. For most purposes this may be good enough. But in some cases it’s not. To come up with a good translation, a translator needs to be able to take a step back from the source text in order to re-mould it in the target language.
From your documents in English, I create translations into German that do not only represent the content correctly but also “sound right”.
Copy editing
I put the finishing touches to your texts.
In the case of documents that are not just meant for internal use, it often matters that they are “well-wrought”. You, as the author, have the expertise for the factual content, but you may not have the time to polish your text to perfection – especially if German is not your mother-toungue. Sometimes, authors are so deeply immersed in their subject matter that they lose touch with their audiences. In such a case, it can be useful if an external editor takes a fresh look.
From your draft or from your notes I will prepare a German text that meets the most stringent requirements.
A well-wrought text says more than a thousand words!
Pre-Translation Editing
Defects in the quality of a text that is to be translated have direct negative impacts on the quality of the resulting translation or on the translation cost – or both. In the best case, translators notice the defects and provide feedback or ask questions, resulting in increased expenditure of time both for the translator and for the customer. It is also not uncommon for the defects to be reproduced by the translation.
Pre-Translation Editing – a special case of copy editing – aims to correct such defects before the source text is sent out to be translated. Especially in the case of documents that are to be translated into more than one language, the one-off expenditure for pre-translation editing is more than made up for by the better quality not only of the translations but also of the source texts.
Macros for translators and copy editors
Macros are automated sequences of operating steps that can be executed with a single keystroke or mouse click. Many applications, including MS Word and the other components of MS Office offer a macro feature. Which translator or editor has not on more than one occasion, when carrying out a mechanical, tedious, boring or repetitive task, wished that it should be possible to perform it automatically. It is very likely that it would have been possible to find an elegant solution using a macro.
For many years I have been exploring the potentialities of macros for translators and copy editors. I have created my own extensive suite of macros enhancing my work environment in MS Word, and I have also developed complex solutions for customers.
I make this expertise available to interested colleagues both in individual training courses and in seminars.