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Confidentiality

We guarantee absolute confidentiality - your texts are in safe hands with us. On request, we would be glad to provide confidentiality agreements, in which we also include our employees as well as the translators involved.

Inquiries and price quotations

It is best to e-mail us the relevant text with important information such as the languages involved, desired delivery date and any further processing wishes. We will first analyze the text, coordinate with you and then you will receive a non-committal price quotation as soon as possible.

Languages

Our global translator network is designed in such a way that, in principle, we can cover every language combination. And in the rare case that our network is not sufficient, we would be happy to recommend a different translation partner to you who can also provide professional translators for the most exotic dialects.

Processing time

The processing time depends on, among other things, the scope of the text and how complex the content is. Although a translator can translate approximately 2,000 words per day or proofread 3,500, we advise that the texts should “ripen” at least one additional day after completion. If you would like to get in touch with us for collaborative planning, we will do our best to meet your requirements.

Prices

The costs incurred are as individual as your order; therefore we do not offer any general prices. It is much more fair to calculate costs specifically based on the project, taking into account the language, type of text, format, scope and your desired deadline. In the case of recurring orders, our regular customers will, of course, receive their own price list based on the source-word count or with agreed hourly rates.

Express surcharge

For urgent translations (rule of thumb: delivery on the same or next day, depending on the scope of the text), we usually charge a surcharge of 25% due to the higher organizational effort.

Notarization/apostille

Translations required for domestic legal transactions should be prepared and notarized by authorized translators. In this way, you confirm the correctness and completeness of the translation, which should be exactly the same as the original. Translations of abridged documents must contain notes regarding omissions. Translations submitted to authorities abroad require, in addition to the notarization, an apostille from the respective regional court, which confirms the authenticity of the signature/stamp of the respective translator. The apostille is used for all states which have signed the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents of 5 October 1961 (Apostille Convention). Caution: always state which country the translation is intended for. Notarized translations which are intended for states outside the Hague Convention will not be endorsed by the regional court with an apostille but will be legally certified and must be legalized by the consulate of the state in which the document is to be used. We also work with legal translators from around the world for these complex procedures, which can relieve you of many errands.

Order processing

You send us your texts (if possible, editable data) and inform us, if necessary, about special needs. If necessary, you will receive a quotation beforehand as well as information on the delivery date. We then commission a translator with the appropriate language skills and the necessary expertise. Before submitting your translation, we will review it according to your chosen level of service. Finally, you will receive the invoice by post or E-Mail.

File formats

The following formats can be edited directly or using filters via SDL Trados:
dita / doc / docm / docx / hhc / hhk / htm / html / idml / inf / ini / inx / mif / mm / odf / odt /potx / ppsx / ppt / pptx / properties / reg / resx / rtf / sdlxliff / sgm / sgml / shtml / svg / txt / ttx / vdx / xlf / xlif / xliff / xlsx / xlz / XML
Image files (JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP) are converted into PDF format and can be delivered in Word Format.

DIN EN 15038 and ISO 9001:2015

The quality standard DIN EN 15038:2006 is a European standard for translation service providers, linked to ISO 9001:2015. Even without certification, we have dealt with both standards for years and have implemented them extensively. Specifically, the first standard deals with the requirements of translation service providers in regard to personnel, technical resources, quality control, project management, contractual conditions for customers and service providers as well as the process for carrying out a service itself. The definition of the translation process plays a central role in the standard, according to which the actual translation should take place over many phases. Quality can only thereby be ensured after the proofreading by a person who is not the translator. In addition, the standard specifies the professional competences of every person involved in the translation process, mainly translators, proofreaders and professional reviewers. However, our many years of experience have shown us that competences can be difficult to ascribe to a standard and that some brilliant minds do not conform to externally set requirements. A quotation from the standard (which we have translated into English):

...a translator must meet at least one of the following three requirements: (1) a formal higher level of training as a translator; (2) a recognized university degree or comparable education in another subject with at least two years of documented translation experience; (3) at least five years of documented professional translation experience. Proofreaders must additionally have experience as translators in the subject areas...

Where we concur with the standard is that the translation process needs to consist of translation, proofreading AND quality management. (translation = a correspondingly competent translator translates and verifies their own work after completion; proofreading = one person, not the translator, revises the translation; quality management = the responsible project manager verifies all customer-specific requirements). The standard defines proofreading as reviewing the text for its fitness of purpose, comparing source and output texts and, if necessary, recommending corrective measures. In addition, the client can also extend the translation process to include value-added services, such as professional verification, galley-proof correction, notarized translation, the creation and administration of terminology databases, pre- and post-editing, and so on.

Quality assurance

This means that every text is checked at least according to the following criteria before it leaves our doors: spelling (automatic check), completeness, digits/numbers and technical functions of the document. An extended check can also include adherence to a particular style guide, terminology or other specifications, such as text lengths.

Interpreting

Translators transfer written texts from one language to another, while interpreters are responsible for spoken languages. Simultaneous interpreters interpret language at the same time, while consecutive interpreters interpret spoken language piece by piece. Chuchotage interpreters whisper the interpretation to a single person.

Sign-language interpreters mediate between deaf and people who can hear simultaneously or consecutively. Our contact for you in Germany: Stephanie Prothmann, a state-certified sign language interpreter from Schwerte with many years of professional experience; interprets from German sign language into the German language. Areas of interpreting area: everything; Languages: German sign language (DGS) and speech accompanying gesture (LBG); German-wide (tel. +49 2304 777897 or mobile +49 178 7778970).

Liability

For years, we have worked with a keen awareness of our responsibilities, because the consequences of false translations are obvious to us. Nonetheless, we are insured by ERGO for purposes of pecuniary liability.