German-to-English translation

I translate from German into UK and US English, specialising in the following areas:

Architecture
Culture and history
Marketing
Automotive
Corporate governance and general business

In recent years, AI has transformed the translation industry, and like many other language professionals, I have adopted this technology to increase my efficiency. An AI tool provides me with a rough translation, which I then go through, sentence by sentence, correcting, rewording and refining. I use my linguistic and subject matter expertise, as well as my many years of experience, to ensure that the final version of the translation is of an excellent standard. For more details on what this involves, please see the article further down the page.

Clearly, the input of a human language expert remains an indispensable part of the translation process. However, since the process is now (somewhat) quicker overall, I am able to charge lower prices than I would have done in the past for traditional translation. Please get in touch for more information.

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My specialisms

Corporate governance

Architecture

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Automotive industry

I am well-versed in this area thanks to my educational background in the humanities and my experience in academic book publishing, as well as the many years I have spent pursuing my passion for German history and culture. Examples: Visitor information for museums and galleries, corporate magazines on art and culture sponsorship

I have ample experience in this field thanks to the five years I spent translating in-house at a car manufacturer. Examples: Owner's manuals, press releases / press information packs and website material for new vehicle launches, presentations and guidelines on manufacturing and logistics processes, articles on historic vehicles

I regularly translate marketing material for a number of mail order and e-commerce businesses, working together with clients to make sure their message comes across effectively to an English-speaking audience. Examples: Promotional emails, customer letters, social media posts, adverts, website content, brochures

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As an aficionado of architecture both historical and contemporary, I love creating translations that bring across the ingenuity and inspirational qualities of new building designs and completed structures. Examples: Press releases, company magazines, website material

My expertise in this area is based on my five years of experience as a designated translator for the Supervisory Board of a major German corporation. Examples: Annual reports, financial and audit reports, documentation for executive and supervisory boards e.g. minutes of meetings, rules of procedure, resolution texts

Marketing

Culture & history

These days, we can translate texts instantaneously using AI technology. However, these translations should be treated with care. Although the text may appear to read well, this often conceals inaccuracies. AI is generally good at constructing grammatically correct and readable sentences, but these do not necessarily accurately replicate the content of the source text. AI also misses subtle connections between sentences, so that the text ends up sounding disjointed. And sometimes the translations are just plain wrong, particularly when there is a lack of context (e.g. an individual word that appears on a list or a button). The translator or editor will pick up on a range of errors and generally give you the confidence that your translation is ready for publication.

What does a translator look out for when working with an AI-generated translation?

● Instances where AI has "misinterpreted" the source text or translated it too literally

● Incorrectly used terminology (just because a word has been translated in a particular way many times before does not mean that this translation is correct, i.e. that this is the term actually used in English-speaking contexts)

● Instances where the source text is unclear, leading to an unsuitable translation – the translator will query these with the customer/author or will use their own reason to deduce what the author intended

● Inconsistency, e.g. in the use of terminology

● Stylistic elements (capitalisation, punctuation etc.) that are inconsistent or do not align with the house style

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How does a translator work with AI technology?

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Contact

Get in touch

Get in touch to discuss your translation and post-editing needs. I will be happy to provide you with a free quotation.

Contact

c.davies@charlottelanguage.com