Englink Translations

Can you afford not to have an English translation? Let us show you why our services are so valuable.

Types of Translations:

We do translations in a variety of areas, but specialize in translations for the German hotel and tourist industry.  We ourselves enjoy travelling in Germany and internationally, and we take pleasure in making travel more accessible for English-speaking guests.  And we especially enjoy learning about new places to visit while we translate!

More than Just Translations – Adaptations

We lay great value on producing accurate, highly readable translations that are easily understood by both native English speakers and other visitors for whom English is a second language.  We also understand that an exact word-for-word translation is not always the best translation.  Sometimes information that is relevant to German visitors is not applicable to foreigners, and conversely, some terms and concepts need to be explained in greater detail.  We don’t just do translations, but adaptation!

Case-Study: Youth Hostels

In some of our recent projects for various German youth hostel associations (Jugendherbergenlandesverbaende), we encountered some unique ways in which the translation, in order to be successful, must be adapted to meet the needs of English-speaking visitors.

• First, it is necessary to translate “Jugendherberge” as “hostel,” rather than “youth hostel” in order to avoid giving the impression that families and older guests are not welcome (as is the case in many English-speaking countries).
• Next, many German hostels emphasize their special offers for groups and families in order to attract larger groups, which are more more profitable than individual travelers.  However, the majority of English-speaking guests travel alone or in smaller groups, so it is necessary to minimize the emphasis on groups and emphasize that individual travelers are also quite welcome!
• As a final example, many German hostels can tell travelers to follow the signs for the “Jugendherberge,” assuming that guests know what the German word means.  However, not all international guests can be assumed to know this German word!  On the English site, it is necessary to explain that “Jugendherberge” means “hostel.”

If your translator isn’t also an adapter, your guests may not understand your services – or may not find you at all! 

Rates:

A quality translation takes time and effort, but it may be more affordable than you think! A basic English translation of your website (including Home Page, Prices, and Reservations) starts at only €100.  Drop us a line and we’ll be happy to give you a free quote for our project.

Translation Benefits

There are many good reasons to have your website translated into English!

• make your business or organization accessible to English native speakers. including Americans, Canadians, British, Australians, Indians, and many others (1/3 of Internet users worldwide are English speakers)
• improve your marketing and customer service by reaching clients in a language they can better understand (studies show that customers are three times more likely to buy a product on a website that it is in their native language)
• increase the professionality of your business and demonstrate that you can attract an international clientele

Here at EngLink, we are here to help you with your English translation needs. Your translation will be prepared only by a trained translator who is a native speaker of English, so you can be sure that you are getting a quality translation that is accessible to your English-speaking visitors and reflects your business in the best possible way.

Did You Know?

• English is the first language of about 350 million people, and is spoken as a second language by about 1 billion people!
• English is an official language in 53 nations
• one third of all Internet users are English-speaking (Source: Wikipedia)
• 1.4 million unique American visitors traveled in Germany in 2007, registering over 4.6 million hotel stays
• Americans spend more nights in Germany than in any other European country, and spend almost $6,000,000,000 a year while travelling! (Source: U.S. Consulate in Germany)

and yet…

• according to our own research, over half of German hotels and restaurants still don’t have an English translation
• of those that do, nearly a third have severe problems with idioms and style because they hired a nonnative or inexperienced translator

Recent References

“Die Zusammenarbeit mit den (Ue)bersetzern war sehr angenehm, unkompliziert und effektiv”
- EKD Diakonie

“EngLink Translations zeichnen sich durch ihr Engagement und ihre Effizienz in englischsprachigen (U)bersetzungen aus und haben uns auf ganzer Linie (u)berzeugt. Qualit(a)t, Schnelligkeit und einen freundlichen Service bieten EngLink Translations zu einem sehr guten Preis-Leistungsverh(a)ltnis. W(a)hrend der Zusammenarbeit, die aus der (U)bersetzung der Internetseite www.jugendherbergen-in-sachsen-anhalt.de bestand, war die Beratung immer kundenorientiert und zielf(u)hrend.”
- Victoria Ufer, Leiterin Marketing
Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk
Landesverband Sachsen-Anhalt e.V.

“EngLink provides a perspicacious and professional translation service. I required a very technical document translated; they did extensive research into the subject material and were able to not just provide a literal translation but to also place it contextually as well as to elucidate the author’s unwritten intent.”

- Victor Li, Johns Hopkins University

Mistranslations

Can you afford to have mistakes in your translation?

Professional translators almost always make a rule of only translating into their native language.  Even Germans who speak English exceptionally well don’t have the natural feel for English idioms that is necessary to produce a fluid translation for foreign guests.  Companies who are unaware of this rule and hire a nonnative speaker often provide us with plenty of entertainment.

“Hall of Shame”

No translator is perfect, but these atrocious translations provide us with motivation to have care in our work – and a healthy dose of laughter!

The following represent some of our favorite “bad translations” from websites and signs we have seen ourselves (websites must go unlisted!):

- After a long day at work you will have the opportunity to expand in our sauna free of charge

- A good day allready begins at night

These are some of the most infamous German->English “mistranslations.”

- “Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension” (spotted in an Austrian ski lodge – apparently the owner, a poetic soul, wanted his guests not to walk around in their climbing boots at night! – and noted in Richard Lederer’s Anguished English)

- “Do not enter elevator backwards, and only when lit up” (reportedly in a Leipzig elevator)

- “It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose” (sign reported in a Black Forest campground)

- “In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the hotel porter” (in a Vienna hotel)

- “Our wines leave you nothing to hope for” (reportedly on a Swiss menu)

And finally, we wanted to highlight some of the best “mistranslations” from other languages into English:

- In a Paris hotel: “Please leave your values at the front desk”

- In the window of a Swedish fur shop: “Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin”

- In a Nairobi restaurant: “Customers who think the waitresses are rude ought to see the manager”

Other Services

Do clearer texts lead to happier clients? Of course they do!

English and German Editing Service:

The best writers know that they can always use a little proofreading before they publish their writing online, even in their own language!  That’s why we offer a reasonably-priced proofreading service, for German and English texts.  In the course of a translation, we almost always find:

• spelling mistakes
• missing or repeated words and other typos
• unclear or ambiguous passages
• unforeseen contradictions

For a reasonable fee, we will correct these mistakes and return a better German text with your English translation.

Additional Languages:

Reach the English-speaking world, then the world!

We can arrange to have your website professionally translated into additional languages (i.e. – French, Spanish, Polish, Russian) – just ask us for more information!

Website Localization:

A custom localization service makes your job even easier!

Our basic fees include an English translation of all of the pages or documents you specify.  When you receive our translation, you can then create English “mirror pages” of the original website by yourself, or send the translations to your website design firm. For an additional fee, we can do the work and put your English mirror pages online –all we need is your web hosting information.

About Us

EngLink is a small family firm based in Towson, Maryland, USA (see our office below).  Kurt and Katarina Pfund first learned the importance of good intercultural communication in their own relationship; in fact, Kurt’s first words to Katarina were to correct her English (not a typical way to begin a romance).

Combined they represent four nationalities (Katarina comes from Halle/Saale, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany and is Polish-German; Kurt is a dual US-Australian citizen and grew up in both countries, but mostly in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.  Between them, they read, write, or speak nine languages (For the record, they communicate in a mixture of English and German).

Contact Information:

Mailing Address: Katarina und Kurt Pfund
113 West Road, Suite 101
Towson, MD 21024
- USA-

Email: englisch.link@gmail.com
Tel.: 001-443-220-7682
001-443-823-9741