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
As the world’s foremost language English has some special characteristics. It is spoken as a first, second and foreign language in entirely different countries and contains therefore an enormous vocabulary. English spoken in Wales is distinct to the English spoken in California or Kenya. The differences are not only found in pronunciation but also in the way words are written. Phrases from all walks of life, be it everyday items (“restroom” vs. “cloakroom”) or official titles (“minister” vs. “secretary”) can vary greatly causing the danger of inaccurate translations.
Why is this important?
Usually, I translate into British English. The reason for this is mainly the fact that I studied English literature and culture, cultivating the British accent and having a particularly strong interest in this variety of English. Therefore, I will write by default “licence” or “grammar school” rather than “license” or “high school”, unless you request I do differently. Should your translation not be for the use in the United Kingdom or Ireland, please inform me of the destination country. For instance, should you require a translation for the US or Canada, I will choose phrases commonly used in those countries. The same applies to any other English-speaking countries where annotations can be made for better understanding.
The choice of a particular variety of English can play an important role in a number of situations:
International English
Some texts are targeted at an international audience. This is for instance the case when you provide a service in a city where many foreigners reside, however you don’t want to have your website or product description translated into 20 different languages, but rather into English as the world’s lingua franca. The goal is to write English texts in a way that they can be easily understood by non-native speakers.
If you need such texts in Simple English, then I can pay attention to the following points while translating them:
Quality comes first!
Regardless of whether you need a translation of civil register documents, a job application, marketing texts or technical documentation – you need a translation that works! A good translation does not only perfectly replicate the original text but also reads well, is appealing to the target group, contains terms typical for the industry and follows the conventions of the culture it is intended for. You will have no benefit from a literal, word-to-word translation that is done en passant within 10 minutes. Utilise the services of a full-time professional like myself who will work intensively on your texts, devote a huge amount of time and effort and think outside the box if necessary! You can expect from me creative texts, alternate translation propositions and, where it seems sensible, explanations in footnotes allowing you to better understand what you get for your money and what translation work has gone into your purchase.
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
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
Certified translations for official purposes are prepared in Germany by sworn translators. The completeness and accuracy of the translation is confirmed in accordance with Section 142(3) of