Tip #1: Avoid literal translation of English phrases.
The phrase “get back” is often translated overly literally. The correct German equivalent in the context of “replying to someone” is “Ihnen antworten” or “bei Ihnen melden”.
EN: … to get back to you ...,
DE: .. Ihnen antworten ..
Tip #2: Avoid capitalization after commas if not necessary
After the comma in the greeting the next line must start with a small letter in German.
EN: Dear John,
Many thanks ...
DE: Hallo John,
vielen Dank
Tip #3: Always adapt the terms to the spelling norms of German
Even though the term “e-mail-adresse” appears like this in the glossary it must be adapted with regard to spelling, i.e. it must be spelled with capital letters.
EN: email address
DE: E-Mail-Adresse
Tip #4: More about literal translation of English phrases
The phrase Have a nice day is often translated overly literally. The correct German idiom should be used.
EN: Have a nice day
DE: Einen schönen Tag (noch für Sie)
The phrase “I will do my best” is often translated overly literally, e.g. ‘werde mein Bestes geben’ - this is too elevated stylistically. The correct German idiom should be used.
EN: I will do my best to ...
DE: … werde ich tun, was ich kann ...
Tip #5: Pay attention to word order in subclauses
After the comma, the verb or auxiliary verb must come first.
EN: If you have further questions please do not hesitate...
DE: ..., zögern Sie bitte nicht,...
Tip #6: Make sure the pronoun/verb agrees with the noun it is associated with
Even though the source uses a different pronoun/verb form, agreement is paramount in the translation.
EN: ...our finance team so they ...
DE: ...unser Finanzteam, damit es
EN: ...villa A., since they require...
DE: ...Villa A., da sie …..verlangt
Tip #7: Make sure your lexical selection is idiomatic
In the following example, there is no direct equivalent in German so a suitable substitute must be found.
EN: I hope my message finds you well
DE: Ich hoffe, Sie sind wohlauf
Tip #8: Avoid literal translation of English phrases
The phrase “glad to” is often translated overly literally (‘Ich bin froh’) and in an elevated stylistic register.
EN: I am glad to assist you
DE: Ich freue mich ...
Tip #9:
Quote marks are used to mark direct speech, citations or to emphasize parts of the text. The initial quotation mark is below rather than above and is preceded by a whitespace, but not followed by a whitespace. The opposite is true for the final quotation mark.