Find success on the German eLearning, Software, or Tourism market
Have your website, software, and apps translated into German with more than a straight translation. LinguaWays is the one-stop-shop that introduces you, your product, and your style to the German-speaking people.
Get ready to conquer a new market, because… now your ideas speak German.
“Brain training, website, emails – we wanted to bring all aspects of Lumosity to the German market. LinguaWays went beyond our expectations and knew the Lumosity product as if they were our own staff. They hit all deadlines, suggested fun names for our games and even helped screen German actors for our advertisement.”
– Michael Scanlon, Co-founder of Lumos Labs (Lumosity)
High quality translations – through team work at its best
Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, people use their devices to communicate. You want to make sure that your texts have a message that appeals to them—a coherent message that fits your brand and style. To ensure these standards, I follow the rules set by the Requirements for Translation Services ISO 17100, which state that every translation needs to be edited and reviewed by a second experienced translator. But my long-term collaborator is more than a second pair of eyes – we form a team that has delivered excellence and ingenuity in translation over dozens of projects in the last decade.
SERVICES TAILORED TO YOUR NEEDS
Translation / Transcreation
How do you create a native German product? I’ll be the German voice for your brand and your firm. A thorough editing phase will ensure highest quality results.
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Layout Check
Is the translation perfectly integrated in your website, software, and apps? Let me have a final look to check on truncations, layout, and other issues.
Style Guide
Are you aiming at a young and hip audience or rather a conservative one? In a style guide, we set the rules for all future branding and spelling.
Revision
Your website and other materials are already translated but you want to check the quality? Let me rework your tests and make sure they sound just right.
“HotelTonight’s quirky voice in other languages isn’t always easy and LinguaWays has done a great job adapting our content for German-speaking audiences. Over the past 6 years Annina helped us translate more than 21k hotel profiles and her smart translations, excellent attention to details and localization knowledge made it great to work with her.”
– Fernanda Duran, Operations Coordinator at HotelTonight (acquired by Airbnb in 2019)
SERVICES IN DETAIL
Translation / Transcreation
You send me the material you need in German and I’ll transcreate, i.e., re-write and adapt it to meet the standards and preferences of the German market. I follow the DIN norm ISO 17100 by ensuring that every translation is checked and edited by a second experienced translator.
Your advantage: In the end, two people know your product intimately and can convey your message in your voice. Multiple native speakers agree on the content and style of your products, and better availability is guaranteed with urgent requests.
Layout Check
Your translation is completed and uploaded to your website or app; the layout of your document and presentation is in the final phase. Let me have a last look in context to make sure there are no truncations or glitches. The goal is to adapt your text to make “lean” and “Deutsch” go hand in hand. After all, German can run about 30 percent longer than English.
Style Guide
You chose a particular tone and style for your product and established your company language for good reason. Of course you want this to be reflected in your localized content and I’ll help you with that.
German is a very complex language, yet one that also offers a lot of flexibility. I’ll develop a style guide that lays out your rules when it comes to brand voice and tone, grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. Especially when working with various different German teams, you’ll want to ensure consistency throughout.
Revision
It can always happen that your previous translation is not up to your standards. Or maybe you have a German source text that needs improvement. Just send it over and let me have a look, maybe it just needs small tweaks. You’ll receive an estimate from me and – if we decide to move forward – I’ll get to work on a version that is consistent in spelling, grammar, usage, style, and general meaning.
“Annina is a very thorough and meticulous language professional, with whom I’ve worked closely for the past eight years. I’m always very satisfied with her work and impressed by the way she comes up with engaging and idiomatic ways to reach Quizlet’s German-speaking audience.”
– Bryan Lopuck, Head of Localization at Quizlet
Annina Pfennig – your German language specialist
I became a freelancer because I was fired on April 1st, 2008. No kidding. And it was the best thing that could have happened to my career.
From one day to the next, I was forced to get out of my comfort zone. In my previous job, I had worked as a German Language Lead for a translation company, managing small and major projects, checking other people’s translations, testing, proofing…you name it. Though neither this experience nor my Master in Translation from Kent State University, OH had prepared me for the freelancer world.
It did give me an opportunity to figure out, what kind of translator I wanted to be. High quality translations that sounded like they were written by a native speaker and delivered on time became the new standard. I teamed up with a good friend and experienced translator and for the years to come we edited each other’s translations. We worked tirelessly and our services were quickly in demand. Through an agency, we became the main German translators for Microsoft surveys for the next eight years. Other long-lasting clients like Lumosity, HotelTonight, Quizlet and Spotify followed. Occasionally, we would collaborate with other colleagues when a large-volume or high-paced project demanded it. When my partner followed a different career path, I asked two trusted colleagues to form a new team of three. Together we have been going strong for the past four years and we are happy to help you with your endeavors!
Certified by the courts of Berlin
LinguaWays embodies different approaches to language. As the logo suggests, there are many different ways of reaching a language goal, whether it involves creating or receiving a flawless translation or mastering a new language. There’s no right or wrong way, as long as the final product achieves its objective.
LinguaWays is not an agency, but rather a very personal translation service that has grown over the past 12 years and served major customers in the software, eLearning and tourism industry. Where necessary, I draw upon a small and trusted entrepreneurial network of freelancers I have built over time to meet the needs of my customers.
I go beyond any agency’s standards: Each and every one of your texts will be translated and checked by two highly professional translators – and I’ll make sure that is truly the case. What’s more, you’ll always have the same translators working on your texts so we know your style!
Additionally you’ll have a direct line of communication with me and, over time, I’ll get to know your product almost as well as you do. Many people have a personal trainer, you have a personal translator!
The process is a highly personal one that I can adapt to your needs. In general, we will begin with a personal conversation about your needs and vision. Then the process can be adapted from the following general workflow: Style guide creation (only the first time around) -> Translation/Transcreation -> Layout Check.
You can give me as much information as possible! Send a link or a copy of your text in its final layout or environment, .pdf, website, etc. Perhaps you already have a German style guide, established terminology or German translations that you’re happy with? Simply send them along as reference. Last but not least: Please send us your files in an editable format if possible, i.e., .docx, .rtf, .html, .pptx, .xlsx.
I’m happy to work with a variety of file formats. You can choose from: .docx, .xlsx, .pdf, .html, .pptx, posts for blogs, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Even subtitling your videos is not a problem.
Timeliness is key in my work and I strive to deliver projects as fast as possible. Turnaround time depends on your text – length, difficulty, quality of the text, and the capacity of my editors and myself. You can roughly estimate 2,000 words per day, but a tailored timeline will be stated in your quote. Urgent translations, as well as work on weekends, holidays, and in the evening, are subject to a surcharge of 30–50%.
Each text is different and prices are determined accordingly. In general, you can estimate EUR 0.21/word or EUR 75/hour. Please feel free to send me your material and I’ll provide you with a detailed quote and timeline.
No. I chose to specialize exclusively in this language pair to deliver the highest quality translations possible.
No, my areas of specialization are websites, apps, software, and print documentation in the eLearning, software, and travel/tourism markets, but I’m always happy to recommend one or more trusted colleagues who specialize in other fields whenever possible.
That’s not a problem. We will collaborate with one of our specialized translators to make sure that your translation lives up to your standards.