My personal philosophy

I believe a translator has also to be an author. It is a translator's duty to produce a copy as readable and interesting as the original.

Translated text often reads "stilted" when it has been translated word for word. I translate the idea into the idea. Many translators can't do this, and a non-native speaker would rarely have the feel for it, concentrating more on the correct grammar rules.
I promise a translation that a native speaker will enjoy reading without thinking they are reading the translation from the original! This is extremely important when dealing with advertising copy.

Being a native-English speaker who has lived in Germany for the past 18 years, I prefer to work with one language pair and in one direction in translation (German to English). My background in print, advertising and the Internet dictates my specialty in copy relating to Corporate Design, print technology (typography, DTP, prepress), ad copy, and the Internet.

CORPORATE DESIGN MANUALS / STYLE GUIDES !!!
My degree in the graphic arts, and many years of experience in advertising and Internet design guarantee the professional translation of Corporate Design Manuals, newsletters, anything to do with typography, DTP and pre-press, and advertising copy so naturally written, a native speaker wouldn't believe they were reading a translation.
I also accept general texts such as tourism, contracts or correspondence for instance.

Website Translation
If you want to be internationally recognized, it is essential that you have a professionally translated website in the language of your target audience. Please submit text in MS Word document format for a precise cost estimate.

Proofreading, Editing, Polishing a Text
Texts are proofread in English only. Please submit the original German copy. Proofreading encompasses checking and correcting spelling, grammar and vocabulary or awkward and incorrect sentence structure. I will rewrite or polish a text where necessary, but this will be discussed in advance.

Proofreading is charged by the hour as is usual. Please understand that even a short text can be a tremendous amount of work if there are many corrections to be made.

Certification, Business and Law
Do you need certification by a sworn translator? Do you have highly specialized business or financial reports, contracts or law texts that need translating? Do you have an English text that needs German translation? No problem: I also work in close cooperation with two BDÜ and ATA certified German<>English translators.

Simplicity Itself
The easiest way to send your copy is by email. I can handle word documents, QuarkXpress, Photoshop or Illustrator formats — zipped or not. And you get it back from me in the same format — professionally translated. Of course, if you want, you can send it by fax, messenger or snail-mail (on disk).

New! Important Information for Potential Customers:
A Guide to Buying Translations [pdf]

The price of a translation is generally based on the number of characters in the original German text and according to difficulty — this can be anywhere from .95 € to 1.30 € per 50 keystrokes. Any reasonable offer will be considered.
Rush jobs may incur a 30% surcharge. VAT where applicable.

Do-it-yourself cost estimate: (For MS Word text)
Menu Tools/Word Count, divide character count (with spaces) by 50. This will give you the line count. This result multiplied by .95 to 1.30 will give you your base price.

Proofreading is charged by the hour as is usual. Please understand that even a short text can be a tremendous amount of work if there are many corrections to be made.

Source Text: German
Mit Leidenschaft gebaut - für Höchstleistung
Dafür verbaut Sxxnet Teile und Materialien, die üblicherweise im Sicherheits-Bereich und in der Raumfahrt verwendet werden. Die Meshnode verträgt die extremsten Situationen: Temperaturen von -40°C - +70°C werden mit Hilfe von aktiven Heizelementen sowie einem Heat-Pipe Kühlsystem bewältigt. Das stoßfeste Makrolon-Gehäuse ist nahezu unverwüstlich und wasserdicht bis zu zehn Metern Tiefe. Ein Sonnenschild hält schädliche UV-Strahlung vom Innenleben der Geräte ab. Damit ist die Meshnode für den Einsatz in schwer zugänglichen oder geographisch anspruchsvollen Gebieten prädestiniert. Natürlich eignet sich die Meshnode mit ihren extremen Eigenschaften ebenso für den Einsatz in urbanen Umgebungen, wo verlässliche Drahtlos-Netzwerke kritisch für die Prozessabläufe sind. Die leistungsstärkste Variante ist die Meshnode Power, die mit vier Funkmodulen und einer Sende-Leistung von 600mW ausgerüstet ist und damit der weltstärkste Access Point mit vier Modulen.

Wireless08 in London
Als einziger Aussteller auf der Londoner Fachmesse für Drahtlos-Technologie, fiel Sxxnet mit einem ungewöhnlichen Stand-Konzept positiv auf. Am Stand selber konnte man sich von der Wasserdichtigkeit der Meshnode überzeugen: Das Gerät war in einem gefüllten Aquarium ausgestellt. Die Meshnode selbst überzeugte mit ihren technischen Spezifikationen - es gab kaum einen Messebesucher, der unbeeindruckt den Stand verließ.

Translation: English
Built with dedication - for superior performance
sxxnet uses components and materials normally applied in the aerospace and security industry. The meshnode can withstand the most extreme conditions: temperatures ranging from -40°C to +70°C owing to active heating elements and a heat pipe cooling system. The impact resistant MakrolonŽ housing is practically indestructible, and it's water tight to a depth of 10 metres. The sun shield prevents damaging UV rays from reaching the inner workings of the device. Although these factors make the meshnode excellently suited for particularly inaccessible or uneven terrain, they can also be applied for urban areas -- where reliable wireless networks are vital for process control flow. The most powerful version in the line-up is our meshnode power. With its four radio modules each with 600mW of transmitting power, it is the world's most powerful four-module access point.

Wireless08 in London
Positive response to sxxnet's atypically modern stand design was refreshingly evident at the London wireless technology trade fair. The stand itself featured a visual demonstration of the meshnode's water tightness: The device was exhibited in a water-filled aquarium. And the meshnode itself was able to win over the most technical of conference visitor. Scores left the stand noticeably impressed by its technical specs.