Translations

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A good translation does not just convey the same meaning,

but it gets the music of the words right.

 

 

As the professional partner for international companies, organisations and agencies, we offer accurate translations from English and Spanish to German at affordable prices with excellent turnaround times. We translate texts on a myriad of subjects such as law, corporate communication and advertising as well as software and IT.

I have a text that needs to be translated. How should I proceed?

If we are the right partner for you and you want to place an order with us, please send the text to be translated/edited (as a Word file, if possible) via e-mail to mail(at)sprachwerkstatt.info.

In this first e-mail, please make sure that you have included the following information with your submission: Target language, type of service required (translation, editing, proofreading, editing a translation) and requested delivery date.

Once we have received your text, we will get back to you and send you a quote via e-mail. Attached you will also find the order confirmation, which contains the specifications with regard to the order (quote, turnaround time, etc.) as well as the General Terms and Conditions. After you have reviewed and agreed to the quote and the conditions, we are ready to go. If required, we will gladly sign a confidentiality agreement in advance.

Our understanding of a good translation

At a time of globalisation, the position of translators and interpreters is becoming increasingly important. However, translating is not about replacing one word from language A with another word from language B. A good translation does not only require the appropriate language and style but also a thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, the underlying cultural and sociological background as well as the author’s thought process behind it.

This requires proper training, experience as well as a profound knowledge of the culture and history of the corresponding countries. Furthermore, analytical skills are indispensable in order to readily grasp the essence of the text and precisely reproduce it in the translation.

A well-written translation builds a bridge between the author and the reader. Translating is a creative process that requires sensitivity, technical understanding and specialist knowledge. However, actual translation is only part of the overall translation process. A large part of the work is taken up with researching, drafting and revising the text. A good translation should clearly convey the meaning of the original text and should read as if it had been written in the target language. To put it in the words of the Turkish novelist Ferit Orhan Pamuk: ‘A good translation does not just convey the same meaning, but it gets the music of the words right.’