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Appointment at a solicitor’s office: why you can’t get by without an interpreter

Not using a publicly appointed and sworn-in interpreter may prove to be advantageous seemingly because the legal (and financial) consequences of an improperly translated and thus misunderstood contract can ultimately cost you dearly. A foreign client’s claim to have a good command of German language should also be approached with caution because notarial recordings require […]

Police interpreting

When does interpreting at the police become necessary?Based on the Directive 2010/64/EU, interpretation must be provided free of charge to suspected or accused persons who do not speak or understand the language of the criminal proceedings. Interpreters are also called when witnesses or victims have no sufficient command of the official language. Lawful interception practised […]

When does a translated contract become legally valid?

A contract is concluded in accordance with German law and translated into English. What is the legal status of the English translation? Is the German version always prevailing and the English text is for information only when it comes to interpretation and legal assessment of the contract? A translation becomes legally effective only if the […]

Legalisation, apostille, certification – what is this all about?

The legalisation is a certification of authenticity of a foreign official document by a consular officer of the country in which the document is to be used. The apostille certifies (just like legalisation) the authenticity of an official document. However, an apostille is issued by the country in which the document itself was issued. This […]

Is Google Translate a good alternative?

The notion that translators are an endangered species has already been circulating for some time. Machine translation (MT) offered by companies such as Google or Bing is, after all, free of charge and available any time. Granted: MT is improving year on year. It is fairly adequate for private purposes, for example when you are […]

Are certified translations from Germany recognised abroad?

A remark beforehand: for years I have been translating a variety of documents into English or Polish and certifying them in accordance with my official status as a sworn-in translator at Frankfurt am Main District Court. I am not aware of any single case in which a certified translation issued by me would not be […]

When should I hire a freelance translator?

Translation agencies, with in-house project managers and translators are, for the most part, only appropriate for large multinational companies requiring their technical documentation or websites to be translated into various languages. The situation is different if you e.g. have a small or medium-sized company or work as a freelancer and need a translation into one […]

Qualified translators and interpreters for other languages

As a freelance translator and interpreter, I am responsible for and carry out all orders and only in my three working languages, i.e. English, German and Polish. Should you be looking for a linguist for any other language, I recommend the searching tool of the Federal Association of Translators and Interpreters BDÜ. You are safe […]

Licensed, sworn-in, state-recognised? – a short guide to the German legal translation system

When searching for a translation service provider, you will encounter different professional titles. First, you should bear in mind the distinction between a translator and an interpreter (in German “Übersetzer” and “Dolmetscher” respectively). While translators only deal with written texts, interpreters render spoken contents into another language. The fact that neither the translator’s nor the […]

What does a translation cost?

Unlike some other regulated freelance professions in Germany, translators and interpreters are not bound by any particular official fee schedule. A fixed scale of charges would be counter-productive as translation projects can vary greatly in terms of topic, scope and language combination. The only exception is the Law on the Remuneration of Interpreters and Translators […]

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