Here a Romo Translations we have said many times that translation accuracy is highly important and must include a thorough understanding of the modern languages being translated, the cultural differences and all of the wonderful nuances between the languages. We have also said that if you get that wrong it can have some significant impacts on your business, or in some cases, the reputational integrity. 

This has unfortunately been the case recently for the British government whilst engaging in the complex Brexit negotiations. It has been reported that the British government submitted a Brexit White Paper to Brussels that had, supposedly, been translated into German. 

As it turned out, the English to German translation did not use the more modern version of the German language that the recipients of the report were expecting. Instead, the style of the German language used for the translated document was more described as “archaic and “unreadable”. Naturally, this reaction from the German recipients left the British government with quite serious reputational damage. 

This unfortunate incident then raised the question as to who had actually made the English to German translation. There was speculation that, due to the type of language used and the poor use of context and modern language, that the translation was carried out by someone that was not a professional German Translator. 

Ideal German Translations

In our article “Ideal German Translations” we spoke about the need to not only understand the subject matter but also to ensure that the language style and culture nuances are accurate included in the German Translation. Clearly, these particular areas were not factored in to the original translation process. 

It would also be apparent that the final German translation was not properly proofread by someone sufficiently experienced and skilled to ensure that the final document was an accurately translated representation of the original document. Proofreading this type of document should be done at least three times to ensure that every nuance and detail has been accurately translated. 

This particular case highlights the need to outsource the translation services to a specialist and professional translation company rather than hope the more limited skills of an internal employee will be able to accurately cover the final translation. 

Here at Romo Translations we have a team of highly skilled and qualified German Translators that can support both businesses and individuals alike with accurate German translations. No matter what your German translation is, from Financial and Legal Translation to Medical and Scientific, we are able to help. 

If you have a document or report that requires an accurate German translation, then please give one of our team a call and we’ll be very happy to help.