German Language Translation Services

Since 1998, we’ve been providing our clients with German translation services of the highest quality covering many areas of expertise.

If you’re looking for prompt, professional translations between German and the world’s major languages, contact our team to discuss your needs.

• Number of German native speakers globally: 100 million+
• Number of countries where German is an official language: 7
• Approx. percentage of world trade conducted in German: 7.2%

The German language & Germany

After Russian, German is the second most-spoken native language in Europe. It is also the third most popular foreign language taught in the English-speaking world, after French and Spanish.

German is derived from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family and is in the same ‘West Germanic’ cluster as English and Dutch.

German, therefore, is very close to English. Loanwords are common, such as delicatessen, angst, poltergeist and wunderkind. In addition, the list of cognates shared between German and English — words that look and sound similar in both languages — is very extensive… English speakers will perhaps be familiar with Buch (book), Doktor (doctor), Finger (finger) and Mutter (mother), for example.

Nouns in the German language have one of three genders: masculine, feminine or neuter. The endings of words often reveal grammatical gender.

Since Germany did not become a unified country until 1871, it had no cultural centre and regional dialects remained dominant — you spoke Bavarian, Swabian, etc. Martin Luther’s bible translations in the 1520s and 1530s were a vital step in forging and spreading a common German language, which could be understood by all regions.

Luther’s German was based largely on the legal language in use at the Saxon court in Meissen. It forms the basis for today’s standard German, often referred to as Hochdeutsch.

Did you know that Germany has one of the world’s highest rates of e-commerce user penetration? Over three quarters of its population are actively spending online. Indeed, in the modern business world, the German language is a colossus.

The largest European Union economy, Germany leads the world in many fields including manufacturing, financial, legal, pharmaceutical, medical, automotive, engineering, food and beverage and more. As well as being the UK’s second-largest trading partner, Germany has even been ranked as number one in the world for entrepreneurship.

Securing the perfect German language translation

To achieve translations of the highest quality, at Alexika we work to four ‘golden rules’:

• Mother tongue translators: The goal is to ensure an end result that reads as if it was originally created in the target language. To achieve this, the linguist working on your project will be a native speaker of the language being translated into. 
• Experts in your industry: Industry knowledge is crucial. Whether translating into or out of German, your translator will have first-hand experience in your sector, with a strong grasp of all subject matter and specialist terminology. This ensures a translation of the highest accuracy and authenticity.
• Qualified and experienced: Our expansive network of translators consists of trained, skilled and proven professional linguists. Translation is their profession.
• Using software to your advantage: To help us provide prompt, concise, cost-effective and consistent translation, we make sensible use of the most cutting-edge translation technology.

When ordering your translations, ask yourself: ‘where is my translation destined for?’ Germany, Switzerland, Austria and even Liechtenstein all speak German, but there are differences in style and terminology which must be accounted for.

Interestingly, German to English translations typically contract by about 20–35% depending on the subject matter, whilst English to German translation typically expands by about 20–35% — so it can be helpful to bear the layout of your translated material or documentation in mind.

Getting started on your German translation project with Alexika

As your fully accredited language service provider, we specialise in world-class translations between German and English, as well as other language combinations involving German. 

Whatever industry or sector you’re in — pharmaceutical, medical, IP, engineering, legal, manufacturing, telecommunications, for business or others — we’ve worked on a project like yours. We’re your German translation company.

Join many other clients and entrust your German translations to Alexika. Get in touch with our team to discuss your requirements, either through our contact page or by phoning 0800 917 9589 (+44 1943 839 227 outside of the UK).