You can always send me an email with (a scan of) the document you need translated. If the document is very large, a representative sample of several pages or paragraphs is already helpful. In a free initial consultation by phone, video conference, or email, we can then discuss your specific needs, after which I can provide a free estimate of the cost.

If you choose to accept, I then translate or edit your documents in the given timeframe (often a little earlier, so that I can incorporate any feedback you may have). I then send you the completed document and the invoice.

As an authorized (“sworn”) translator before the Higher Regional Court of Cologne, I can issue certified translations of certificates, official documents, and public records. These translations are then accepted by authorities as complete and accurate.

In accordance with German regulations, certified translations are issued as hard copies. Some institutions may accept scans of these documents, and if you have been asked to submit a digital copy, I am happy to provide a scan in addition to the hard copy. In both cases, the final document will consist of the translation itself, a copy of the original document, and my stamp and wet-ink signature certifying the translation’s accuracy and completeness. The translation and copy must never be separated, and no pages may be removed without invalidating the certification.

Since certified translations are issued as hard copies, please plan enough time for postal delivery of the documents. You can also pick up the documents by appointment at my office in Cologne.

If you need several documents in multiple languages, you can either search for qualified translators through the database of court-authorized translators, or you can contact me directly. I will be happy to recommend a suitably qualified colleague.

The time required for translation depends on a number of factors, such as the difficulty of the text,  the length of the text, and whether it is available in an editable format such as DOC/DOCX or ODT or an uneditable format such as PDF or JPEG. If you need a document urgently or you have a specific deadline you know in advance, please mention this when you get in touch.

Costs for translation and editing depend on a number of factors, including the length and difficulty of the text, the desired delivery date, whether a translation needs to be certified or legalized, and whether the original is available in an editable format such as DOC/DOCX or ODT.
Translations are usually billed by the word, with final proofreading and basic layouting included in the price. Editing and other services such as copywriting are billed by the hour. Flat rates are available by agreement. As I live and work in Germany, German/EU laws regarding value-added tax (VAT) apply. At present, this means US and UK commissions are generally exempt from VAT.
When comparing prices, it is important to consider that many translation agencies take a 50% cut of their stated price. Because of this cut rate, agencies have to purchase translations from providers for much lower prices. Those providers then have to mass-produce translations quickly in order to make ends meet. They cannot consider the circumstances of your text or what you might need it for. The result is a lower-quality translation—and at no point can you discuss your needs directly with the translator.
By contrast, I believe in investing in quality. That is why my rates ensure I can devote my full time, attention, and resources to your translation—no shortcuts.
And if a text falls outside my areas of expertise, I am happy to recommend the best candidate for your needs from my wide-ranging professional network.

The use of AI for translation and document summary has already led to company data and personal information inadvertently becoming accessible to unauthorized parties. What is more, prompt injection,  and other covert techniques mean that as AI models get larger, they can more easily be tricked into maliciously revealing or misusing your data. At the same time, LLMs get less transparent with every new model. For companies and individuals alike, security and confidentiality risks from AI are only growing.

By contrast, I take technical and organizational measures to ensure that your data remains safe and confidential.  Such measures include the use of EU-based mail and web servers, secure backups, and local rather than cloud-based processing of all texts. And of course all your data are treated as strictly confidential. If you have questions about data security while working together, please get in touch! Together we can find solutions to your privacy concerns.

AI outputs often seem impressively lifelike—which is precisely what makes them risky. Companies have lost court cases and clients through the use of AI, which harms revenue as well as public image. So what makes AI translations such a risky bet?
Systems like DeepL or ChatGPT use mathematical modeling to predict or generate text. These two systems use different approaches, known respectively as neural machine translation (NMT, used by engines like DeepL and GoogleTranslate) and large language models/generative pretrained transformers (LLMs/GPTs, used by ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini). While the specific technologies differ, both approaches use large datasets of existing translations created by human translators. These training sets (often obtained illegally, in violation of copyright protections) allow them to produce highly plausible results. In fact, the results may even be convincing enough to get an approximate overview of the contents of a text. Unless they turn out to be slop.
But however plausible the results may be, they are not based on factual understanding of your text. What’s more, stylistic subtleties such as rhythm, personality, and tone are lost completely—a disaster for any text in the arts. And at no point can the system recognize whether or not a statement is true, much less whether it is legally questionable or potentially dangerous. This blind spot has disastrous consequences in areas such as psychology, legal documents, and marketing. And any published work relying on AI-generated “translation” is running serious risks, quite apart from destroying its author’s style.
Unlike editing a text produced by a translator, editing AI outputs requires a complete reconstruction of the original, questioning every word, phrase, and sentence. Far from saving time, using AI to create foreign-language materials will thus usually create extra work and costs.
Reduce your risks: Consult with a professional translator before you use AI to create foreign-language content. If you are looking to increase efficiency or implement cost savings through technological means, I can help you develop a strategy that will not sacrifice your public image.

I am! It is generally good practice for translators to translate only into their native languages. This is because language consists not only of the rules you learn in school, but also of an entire cultural world, with all its little quirks, in-jokes, and inflections. And those are best learned through years of immersion in the language and continuous contact with its speakers.
Having grown up bilingually, I went to school and university in both Germany and the US and have lived in both countries for several years. In addition, I keep up with the development of language on both sides of the Atlantic. This allows me to make use of the full range of cultural and linguistic nuances when translating your texts.

As a specialist translator, I work only into languages in which I have native proficiency—which involves not only training and linguistic expertise, but also years of exchange with and within a language community. That is what allows me to ensure your text will be effective in translation.
Of course, no one has a native command of every language, so I keep in touch with a large network of qualified colleagues. If you need services in other languages or in subjects outside my specialisms, therefore, you can contact me directly, and I will be happy to put you in touch with a suitable translator. Or you can check the directory of the German translators’ association BDÜ or (for certified translations) the federal database of court-authorized translators. Incidentally, I am listed in both directories.