German Translation Services
Since 2005 we’ve provided high-quality German translation and localization services to clients all over the world.
Located just north of Chicago, we work with professional German linguists and a team of highly skilled project managers to provide excellent customer service and speedy project turnarounds to our clients.
Expert German Translations
Approximately 95 million people speak German as their first language, and most German speakers are located in countries and territories in Europe. German is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a co-official language of Luxembourg and Belgium, as well as a national language in Namibia. There are German-speaking minorities in almost every Latin American country, and in the U.S. states of North and South Dakota, German is the most common language spoken at home after English.
Whether you need to translate websites, legal contracts, surveys, marketing materials or technical documents to reach a German-speaking audience in Germany or in other parts of the world, our team is ready to help. We bring together expert German translators and the latest translation technology to ensure accuracy and efficiency with every project. Our dedicated project managers work with you from start to finish to make the process as seamless as possible.
German Audio Transcription
German doesn’t have a standardized pronunciation — which means that it can widely differ depending on the region. Although they are generally mutually intelligible, there is a considerable difference in the vocabulary of Standard German, Swiss German, and Austrian German. For transcribing audio or video with a high level of cultural nuance, we always work with professional transcriptionists native to the respective region.
Looking for German in audio transcription? We transcribe focus groups, interviews, documentaries, conference calls, seminars, legal proceedings, body wires and other audio and video content.
Have audio or video content that you’d like transcribed?
Multilingual Connections transcription services include:
- monolingual transcription (source audio > source text)
- interpretive transcription (source audio > target language text)
- double column (both languages side-by-side)
We’re happy to accommodate your formatting needs and time stamping.
German Voiceover and Subtitle Translation
It’s true that some German-speakers know English well enough to understand English content, however, nine out of ten German speakers who don’t work in international environments prefer German content. To reach and engage your German-speaking audience it’s best to localize your video content to German.
Multilingual Connections’ multimedia localization team works with you to bring your story and your voice to life in German. We work with video production companies, creative agencies and filmmakers to produce film content with linguistic accuracy and cultural nuance. Only a small percentage of our linguists are assigned to subtitling and voiceover projects, as it requires unique training and skill. Count on us to help grow your German-speaking audience — or to bring your German language content to speakers of other languages!
German Interpretation
Planning conferences, employee meetings, legal proceedings or training with a German-speaker? Talk to us about your needs for consecutive interpretation, simultaneous interpretation or phone interpretation, available in the U.S. and throughout the world. Our expert interpreters convey your message accurately and help you connect with your audience!
Intricacies of German translation
Despite the fact that German and English are connected and borrow many words from each other, translating between English and German comes with several nuances. Here are a few you should consider as you plan for translation.
Formal and informal register
There are two forms of address in German: formal (Sie), and informal (du, ihr). When translating from English to German, our team works with you to decide which register to use and how the level of formality will impact your brand identity and relationship with your audience.
Sentence structure
Sentence structure and word order are very different from English — our translators are cautious to avoid translations that sound awkward or stilted.
Translation text expansion
German has many long compound words, usually created to replace a sequence of several short words. This means that if text is translated from English into German, it can be up to 35% longer than the original, which is especially significant for desktop publishing, brochure and web design, and subtitling.
Our team works with you to ensure the right process is in place to manage these challenges and produce high-quality deliverables. Contact us to start a project or if you have any questions.