Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is it that translators and interpreters do?What special skills do translators need?
What difference is there between translating and interpreting?
Are there any recognized degrees for translators, and if so, how can I recognize them?
What is a sworn / court-appointed translator?
What exactly is a certified translation, and when will I need one?
What is the so-called “mother-tongue principle”?
How do Translation Memory Programs work?
What can I do to help produce the most favorable translation of my text?
What does the name ‘BDÜ’ stand for?
How will I be charged for translations?
What happens if I’m not satisfied with my translations?
My text contains confidential information – can I rely on your discretion?
What exactly is it that translators and interpreters do?
Translators and interpreters transfer written or spoken contents into a foreign language; however, this process involves far more than merely replacing words.
For instance, they have to be able to transfer the contents of one language into another in such a way as to best suit the respective receiver and situation. For this purpose, they will have dealt sufficiently with various text types during their training and work, and have acquired adequate techniques for translating these texts.
In almost every case, the translation and interpretation process will require specialized knowledge of the subject matter at hand; for this reason, translators and interpreters have to specialize in a few selected fields (see, for instance, my Areas of Expertise).
The profession of a translator or interpreter also differs from other foreign language jobs (e.g. foreign language correspondent, multilingual secretary etc.) by the fact that both require an extremely precise and extensive knowledge of their working languages which goes far beyond mastering everyday speech skills and includes plenty of specialized knowledge as well. After all, translators typically translate complex, and often extensive, specialist texts.
What special skills do translators need?Language skills alone – no matter how flawless, even on a bilingual level – are nowhere near enough for being a good translator. Even though excellent command of your respective foreign languages (and mother-tongue) are minimum requirements for the job, you would have to add further skills and knowledge on top of this; for instance, how to translate various text types geared to the target group, or what methods will be most suitable for a specific translation situation.
Due to the fact that, in general, rather challenging specialist texts will be translated, specialized knowledge is essential to the job. Therefore, prospective graduate translators are taught the first basics of a special subject (technical, economic, legal, or medical field) during their studies. Once they have entered the working world, most translators specialize further while they also have to ensure their continuous training on-the-job in order to be able to keep up with current trends and developments.
A translator’s job furthermore requires many technical and practical skills: Computing and word processing skills are, of course, prerequisites; however, quite frequently translators are also required to manage special (customer) programs. And more and more often, translation memory programs and terminology management programs are employed also which helps to support the translation process both for the customer and the translator.
What difference is there between translating and interpreting?Transferring the written content of one language into another is called ‘translation’; if the transferred content is verbal, however, this process is called ‘interpretation’.
Since both the translation and the interpreting process require very different approaches and methods, they are taught separately at university. Accordingly, not every translator will automatically accept interpreting jobs and vice versa. Furthermore, every profession requires its own "tools of the trade“. As an example, an interpreter has to be extremely flexible in terms of location and time, whereas a translator requires, among other things, working materials (computer applications, terminology management tools, specialized reference books, glossaries etc.) at hand.
Are there any recognized degrees for translators, and if so, how can I recognize them?So far, the general job title ‘translator’ has not been legally protected or tied to any preconditions, which is why basically anybody who believes him- or herself able to transfer a text from one language into another can call him- or herself a ‘translator’ – irrespective of any qualification he or she might (or might not) have, and regardless of the quality of the texts he or she translates.
There are, however, a few legally protected German names or titles that may help you find out how qualified an individual actually is:
Translators with a ‘Master’s Degree in Translation’ (‘Diplom-Übersetzer’) or with a ‘Master’s Degree in Interpretation’ (‘Diplom-Dolmetscher’) have completed a degree involving at least four years of study at a university, or at a technical college (‘Fachhochschule’, or ‘FH’). During his or her studies, each prospective translator/interpreter will have worked on general and specialized texts of the most varied kind on a daily basis. In addition to that, their studies will have comprised cultural science and linguistic courses, various translation theory topics, specific translation methods and strategies, and, at most universities, at least one specific supplementary subject (e.g. economics, engineering, law or medicine).
Academically accredited translators (‘akademisch geprüfte Übersetzer’) also have to complete academic studies in order to acquire their titles - however, their studies are considerably shorter than those required for a Master’s Degree.
State-accredited or state-certificated translators/interpreters (‘staatlich anerkannte’ or ‘staatlich geprüfte Übersetzer/Dolmetscher’) have either completed a training course of one or two years at a language school, or have acquired in some other way sufficient practical experience to meet the applicable translator exam criteria at a State Examination Office or Chamber of Industry and Commerce. However, each of these titles proves only that the person holding it has taken and passed the required exam – yet both the individual institute’s access criteria for these exams and their requirements of the examinee may vary considerably.
On the other hand, names such as " specialized translator" (‘Fachübersetzer’) without any further official title - e.g. a Master’s Degree or similar - are actually mere “fictional titles” which anybody may bestow upon themselves. And, strictly speaking, since none of these names has been standardized anywhere in Germany, they do not mean anything at all.
Therefore, before you place any translation order, you may want to make sure you find out about possible qualifications of that specific translator - for instance by simply requesting proof of his or her certificates (any competent translator/interpreter will not hesitate to comply with your request).
What is a sworn / court-appointed translator?These translators have been sworn in by their regional court so the latter may employ them at any point without further formalities, e.g. to translate for the court and notaries. Prior to being sworn in, their personal and professional suitability will have been checked, and often they also need to provide evidence of sound legal knowledge.
Varying from state to state, these sworn and court-appointed translators are called ‘ermächtigt’, ‘allgemein beeidigt’ or ‘öffentlich bestellt’ in German. Sworn translators are authorized to do so-called certified translations of official and private documents of any kind, i.e., they confirm by their stamp and signature that their translation is correct and complete. These translators are furthermore bound to confidentiality and impartiality and are liable to special diligence, which is why they also have to point out any particuliarities of the original document.
By the way: Not every qualified translator will also be a sworn or court-appointed translator - quite the contrary. This status is rather special and completely independent of any translations degree or exam.
What exactly is a certified translation, and when will I need one?A certified translation will bear a note at the end of its text where the sworn translator confirms that this translation is correct and complete, and will usually be required for translations of the following documents:
• Civil registry files or documents (birth certificates, certificates of conduct, marriage certificates, death certificates etc.)
• Notarial documents
• Documents required for evidence
• Degree and school certificates
• Records or information for public register entries
In a translator’s everyday practice, the "mother-tongue principle“ is most common: According to this principle, translators should exclusively translate into their native language. This principle is most often used for specialized translations, literary translations, and during interpretation, and it assumes that a person can only translate into his or her native language in such a way as to produce texts which are lingually, culturally and textually unobtrusive. One prime example is the EU language mediator service: All their translators and interpreters translate (and interpret) exclusively into their native language.
This, of course, implies that the translator also masters his or her source language extremely well and that, for specialist texts, the translator has adequate knowledge in each of those areas. After all, abiding by the mother-tongue principle alone will not guarantee you good translations – what is also essential at the same time are excellent foreign language, translation and professional competencies. And even though there are indeed some exceptions to this rule where translating into one’s foreign language is possible and justified, these situations are generally quite unusual and rather case-specific. For instance, if details of the text’s content have to be filtered from a source that is hard to understand, it might, under certain circumstances, be better to make an exception to the mother-tongue principle and translate into the foreign language for once. However, for most translations, this is rather the exception than the rule because the mother-tongue principle is usually essential to ensure high quality translations: For example, if the text’s language is very demanding (specialist text) or is intended to be very appealing (advertising) or has to be simply "unobtrusive“ and read just like a text originally written in that specific language, it is advisable to apply the mother-tongue principle.
How do Translation Memory Programs work?Translation Memory (or CAT - computer-assisted translation) Programs are particularly useful tools for modern translation businesses. Using this technology, both the source and target text can be saved in segments in a special database during the translation process. If a segment comes up again within the same text or during a follow-up project (complete or partial match), the program will recognize this and display its content to the translator for possible reuse. Therefore, reoccurring segments, or parts of a sentence, will not have to be translated again, which also helps to ensure a consistent and uniform terminology within the text or for one specific customer and job. Yet another aspect of it would be that the program will reduce the translator’s workload, speed up the translation, thereby providing a cost reduction from which the customer will also benefit. Additionally, the program will help to better assess and plan a translation’s scope, its internal recurrences, required costs and time frame. This method is used particularly often for functional texts such as operation manuals, technical instructions, and the like where constantly recurring identical or similar phrases prevail. Some examples for translation aid programs are SDL/Trados, Wordfast and Déjà Vu.
What can I do to help produce the most favorable translation of my text?Allow enough time for the translation. Not only drafting and writing the original of a text takes time but also translating it needs to be done thoroughly and diligently.
Make sure your original text is of perfect quality, and avoid any modifications and amendments once the translator has started his/her work.
Try to provide sufficient information on your text’s purpose and target group. Do you have any reference material that might be considered for your new translation? Is there any company terminology that needs to be included? Does your company have a contact person available in case of questions about the content of the original text?
The more support and information you can provide your translator with, the better he or she will be able to implement and fulfil your ideas and objectives.
What does the name ‘BDÜ’ stand for?‘BDÜ’ is an abbreviation of the German ‘Berufsverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer’ (‘Professional Association of Interpreters and Translators’). Membership will be granted only to those language mediators who meet the strict requirements for high quality, both in their training and professional work.
The members of the BDÜ commit themselves to complying with the BDÜ’s professional obligations and, in case of work-related disputes, submit to their Court of Honor. Customers can search the BDÜ membership database for a qualified language mediator using criteria such as language combination, location, expertise, sworn in by the court, etc.
For further information, please go to their official website on http://www.bdue.de
How will I be charged for translations?In Germany, translations are usually charged on a standard line basis, i.e., based on lines of the same length (55 characters of the translated text in its target language including spaces and punctuation).
As for pricing my translations, I can offer you two alternative billing methods:
1) Based on the actual number of lines of your translated text: The total price will be calculated after having completed the translation and is based on the text’s scope and the valid line rate you have been given. In details, this means: For pricing based on the text’s specific line rate (standard billing method), the lines of the completed translation will first be calculated by a special independent line counting program.
After that, the number of lines will be multiplied by the applicable line rate you will have been given before placing the order. Depending on the volume of your text, or for follow-up orders/long-term projects, we can also agree on a quantity discount. Once the translation project has been completed, you will receive proof of your text’s line count (at the customer’s request either as a file or print-out) so you can verify your invoice
OR
2) Based on a previously quoted price: After having submitted my offer, your translation will be done for this predetermined, all-inclusive price we agreed on.
If you opt for receiving an offer and all-inclusive price, I will need to count your text’s lines as contained in the source document, and multiply it by the applicable line rate.
On top of this, another factor to be considered will be the difference between the length of the source text and the translation because, empirically, German texts are an average of 25-35 % longer than the same text in English.
Additional services, such as proofreading, gathering of terminology, formatting, graphic design, and typographic editing, will be agreed on separately and will be charged for at an hourly rate. The minimum price for a translation order is € 30.00, with additional fees for rush jobs or for weekend/holiday projects. For certified translations, you will be charged the applicable line rate plus a certification fee of € 10.00 per stamp.
What happens if I’m not satisfied with my translations?Should this ever occur, please let me know immediately. The thing that is most important to me is making sure my customers are happy with their translations. Should you have any questions or doubts, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time, and together we will find a joint solution for your issue at hand.
My text contains confidential information – can I rely on your discretion?Of course you can. I consider myself a service provider and am therefore bound to keep all of my customer’s data confidential. Any information you convey to me (both in source, parallel or reference texts) will be used exclusively for carrying out your order, and will not be made accessible to any third party nor used for any other purpose.