Translating in the field of chemistry and science
Man versus machine
These days, Google Translate, DeepL and other machine translation engines can be relied upon to produce translations that sound pretty polished. But these tools have their limits when it comes to the text type. They simply can’t handle highly specialized content and marketing materials written to achieve a specific impact.
There’s no denying that machine translation engines are perfectly capable of delivering decent translations. The problem is that they don’t actually understand the content. They can’t interpret text or grasp context. The wrong words make their way into texts, while imagery and metaphors miss the mark. And there’s no chance of achieving the intended result if the original text has to be cut down in any way (there isn’t always enough space on the page for all the letters in the German version).
What can I offer you?
I’m a scientist with a degree in chemistry and a doctorate. And I’ve been a certified translator for English since 2018. My background means that I’m dedicated to using the correct terminology consistently to craft translations that are easy to read and have the same impact as the original text.
My portfolio is filled with scientific and technical texts including popular science books for children and adults.
Drag
Drag
“We must be clear that when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry.”
Am I speaking your language?
I translate from English into German.
Do you need a translation in the opposite direction? Or maybe you need a different language combination altogether? Or you’re in need of a translator working in a different specialist field? I’d recommend that you search the directory of the German Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (BDÜ). I should know because I’m a member myself.
Quick questions
Send me an email, fill in my contact form or give me a call. You can also download my list of quick questions right here. Maybe you know some of the answers already?
Ready to experiment?
If you’d like to see for yourself if my services are the right fit for you, you can always start by sending me a short text or an extract from a longer piece for translation. I charge €65 for an initial trial amounting to around 300 words.
And what will the total cost be?
That depends! I base my prices on the amount of translation work involved. A fair price often needs more than a simple word or character count.
I’ll be happy to provide you with a quote – either in the form of a project price or a word or hourly rate. Before I can do that, though, I’ll just need to know a bit more about your project and the volume of text involved.
You can get in touch with me here.
My memberships
German Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (BDÜ).
German Terminology Association (DTT).
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) and its Association for Chemistry and Economics (VCW), Analytical Chemistry, and Freelance Chemists and Owners of Independent Laboratories (FFCh) divisions.