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English German translations - certified English to German translator

Languages › English ⇄ German

English to German translators: German ⇄ English.

German ⇄ English translation — the most requested direction — is handled by native professional translators in British, American or international English for contracts, technical documentation, annual reports, academia and the web, certified on request for Swiss authorities and terminologically consistent. The target variety is fixed before we start. Binding fixed price from CHF 89.

  • Court-authorised translatorcertified DE ⇄ EN
  • Both directionsEN→DE and DE→EN
  • Specialist by fieldlegal · medical · technical
  • 4,7 · Trustpilot
Contact usPrices +41 44 5868 297

Native English professional translators · certified on request by a qualified translator (with notarial certification) (Swiss certification and notarisation practice) · 24-hour express where feasible

DIN EN ISO 17100certified · Reg. 7U517
British · Americantarget variety fixed in advance
Price up frontfixed price, transparently calculated
ConfidentialGDPR-compliant · NDA possible

English–German translation

English ⇄ German translation by native speakers.

Reviewed by specialists · FÜD editorial team · kept current

English is the working language of international business — and by far the most requested language direction at the FÜD. Whether a supply contract with a US partner, technical documentation for export, an annual report for international investors or a manuscript for an English-language journal: English decides reach and legal certainty. Translation is done by native English professional translators with an evidenced field — not generic, but for your purpose.

We translate in both directions: German–English for your international audiences, and English–German when English certificates or contracts have to be submitted to Swiss authorities in certified form.

When you need an English–German translator

Working across two languages, one system.

Most people who search for this are already fluent in English, dealing with the Swiss system — or internationals who use English as their working language. Both are covered.

English → German, for the authorities

English-language birth, marriage and name-change certificates, diplomas and police records for a civil-status office, the immigration office or recognition of qualifications — rendered into German as a certified translation with names left exactly as in the passport, prepared for the requirements of Swiss authorities.

German → English, for international life

German diplomas, employment references, certificates and company documents that an employer, university or partner abroad expects in English rather than German. Same specialists, same care with legal terminology and equivalence of qualifications.

British or American — fixed up front

Spelling, terminology, date and number formats differ between the varieties. We fix the target variety (British, American or international) before the project and hold it consistently through a style guide and translation memory.

Business across both

Companies trading with the UK or US, or teams that run in English while the paperwork is German. We assign a specialist for the direction and field you actually need, not a one-size-fits-all pair.

English–German translation service

English for every sector.

For each field we assign an English translator with the right background — the subject depth is on the respective pages.

Law

Technology & medicine

Business & web

Certified & express

Language & culture

British, American or international — the variety is no detail.

Between British and American English there are systematic differences in spelling (colour/color, -ise/-ize, licence/license), in the date format (DD/MM/YYYY vs. MM/DD/YYYY) and in terminology and measurement conventions — with real consequences in the legal and technical register. A contract dated “05/03/2026” means 5 March in London and 3 May in New York; on a certificate that is not a style slip but a factual error. We fix the target variety before the project starts and keep it consistent via translation memory and style guide, including international English for multilingual audiences.

For official submissions, a qualified translator (with notarial certification) produces a certified English translation prepared for the requirements of Swiss authorities; whether an apostille is additionally needed we clarify in advance — it is issued by the competent authority, not the translation service.

Quality you only notice at the recipient

Errors only an English professional translator catches.

German and English are closely related — and that is exactly the trap: much looks translatable but is not. These eight pitfalls separate a native professional translation from a literal one. Each is DE⇄EN-specific and demonstrable.

Typical pitfalls in German–English translation and their professional solution
PitfallWhy it goes wrongHow the FÜD solves it
Date format DD/MM vs. MM/DD“05/03/2026” is 5 March in British English, 3 May in American. On a contract, certificate or invoice a formatting detail becomes a wrong date.Dates are written out unambiguously per target variety (e.g. “5 March 2026” / “March 5, 2026”) rather than copied character for character — no room for interpretation.
False friends“aktuell” is not actual (→ current), “eventuell” not eventually (→ possibly), “sensibel” not sensible (→ sensitive), “Gift” is poison, “bekommen” not become (→ receive). A single word flips the statement.Native speakers with a field translate the meaning, not the word similarity; critical terms are held in checked terminology.
Legal form “translated” (GmbH → Ltd)A GmbH is not a Ltd and not an LLC — liability, registration and legal order are different. Anyone who “translates” the legal form asserts a company that does not exist.Legal forms, commercial registers and authorities stay in the original and are explained (e.g. “GmbH (German limited liability company)”) rather than replaced by a foreign institution.
“billion” & number separatorsEnglish “billion” is the milliard (10ⁿ), not the German Billion (10¹²). And the separators reverse: “1.000.000,50” becomes “1,000,000.50”. In balance sheets and contracts that is orders of magnitude.Numbers, magnitudes and thousands/decimal separators are consistently converted to the target convention and cross-checked for amounts.
“sworn” / “certified” confused by countryCourt authorisation (in other countries “swearing-in”) is a concept of continental law. The UK and USA have no such state appointment: there a “certified translation” with a qualified translator's statement counts — “sworn translator” misleads.We apply the form valid in the target country: a statement of accuracy per UK or US practice — and do not falsely declare a qualified translator (with notarial certification) as “sworn”.
Titles & qualifications set 1:1“Dipl.-Ing.”, “Meister”, “Facharzt” or “Prokura” have no direct English counterpart. An invented equivalent distorts rank and entitlement.Grades and functions stay in the original with an explanatory equivalent — the credential stays verifiable without faking a foreign qualification.
Spelling variety mixedcolour/color, organise/organize, licence/license, centre/center: a file mixing British and American spelling looks unprofessional and is noticed by editors and authorities in the target market.One target variety is fixed in advance and kept via style guide and translation memory across the whole document — and follow-up jobs.
German typography & capitalisationGerman quotation marks „…“ and the en dash read as foreign in English; English headings follow title case. If the German pattern stays, the text reads “passed through”.Typography is switched to the target language: „…“ → “…”, correct hyphens, title case in headings, English forms of address and date conventions.

Why “good school English” is not enough here

None of these errors is a grammar error — most survive any spell-check. They arise at the seam of two language and legal systems and only show up at the recipient: the US partner, the British registry court, the investor. That is exactly where native professional translation with a field comes in.

The difference shows not in the text but at the recipient.

That is why: native speakers with a field, a fixed target variety and checked terminology.

Sworn and certified English–German translators

“Certified”, “sworn”, “beglaubigt” — what counts in the target country.

Reviewed by specialists · FÜD editorial team · kept current

For submissions to Swiss authorities and courts, a qualified translator (with notarial certification) produces a certified translation (in German a bestätigte / “beglaubigte” translation) with stamp, signature and certification statement — prepared for the requirements of Swiss authorities. For the English-speaking world a different logic applies: the United Kingdom and the USA have no state swearing-in of translators.

There the receiving body requires a “certified translation” — a signed statement of accuracy from a qualified translator, in the USA sometimes additionally notarised, in the UK often by members of CIOL or ITI. A German “authorised” translator is therefore not automatically a “sworn translator” for the UK/US. We apply the form valid in the respective target country — following the DIN EN ISO 17100 process with native revision.

Use cases

Four typical English translations: reference, contract, website, certificate.

Purpose, target market and target variety decide tone, terminology and the form of certification. Three common jobs — from the starting point to the result.

Application abroad

Employment & conduct reference German → English

Starting point
For an application to an international employer, an employment reference and certificate of good conduct are needed in English — with the typically German “coded” reference formulas.
Process
A native translator renders the coded reference language faithfully, keeps titles and grades in the original with an explanation, and chooses British or American conventions per target country.
Result
An understandable, value-neutral translation that carries the appraisal correctly — certified where the body requires it.

Law & trade

Supply contract German → British English

Starting point
A German mid-sized company concludes a supply contract with a UK partner; legal form, jurisdiction and payment terms must go precisely into British English.
Process
“GmbH”, “Handelsregister” and “Prokura” stay in the original with an explanation; dates and amounts are set in British convention; a legal specialist checks the terminology.
Result
A contract that is legally readable without replacing the source system’s legal institutions with foreign ones.

US market entry

Website & marketing German → American English

Starting point
A manufacturer wants to localise its web presence for the US market — not just translate but adapt address, units and examples.
Process
A native marketing translator transcreates claims and value propositions, switches spelling, date and units to US convention, and keeps the tone consistent via a style guide.
Result
A presence that sounds native to US readers — not “translated from German”.

Swiss authorities

English certificate English → German (certified)

Starting point
An English-language birth or marriage certificate, or a degree, must be submitted to a Swiss civil registry office (Zivilstandsamt) or recognition body.
Process
An qualified translator renders it into German with names left exactly as in the passport; the certification note makes it ready for the authority.
Result
A certified translation Swiss authorities accept across Switzerland — no follow-up query.

What an English–German translation costs

What does an English translation cost?

We review volume, field, direction and target variety and name a binding fixed price. Standard certificates usually at a flat fee per document, longer texts per standard line — certification on request, advance PDF and postal delivery included.

Binding fixed price
from CHF 1.09 / standard linestandard certificates at a flat fee per document
Price up front · no unannounced extra costs
Native English professional translation✓included
Fixed target variety (British / American / international)✓included
Certification by a qualified translator (with notarial certification) on request✓included
Advance PDF & postal delivery of the original✓included
Native revision & final check✓included

As a guide from CHF 1.09 / standard line (55 characters incl. spaces); we name the exact amount after a brief review — in Switzerland plus VAT. A required apostille is issued by the competent authority and is not part of our service. How the price is made up →

Request an English translation

English–German document translation

English ⇄ German — from certified certificate to specialist text.

We translate English – German and German – English — from the certified certificate to the specialist text. Frequently from English: birth certificate, marriage certificate, certificate of good conduct, driving licence and degree certificate — each requiring a certified translation for use before Swiss authorities.

Certificates & personal

Law & business

Technology, web & IT

Medicine & academia

FAQ

English translation — frequently asked questions.

Who translates into and out of English at the FÜD?

Native professional translators with a field, supported by checked terminology. So subject content and idiom hold in both directions; on request a second qualified person revises.

Do you provide certified English–German translations?

Yes. For certificates, diplomas and official documents, a qualified translator working to the formal requirements of the intended Swiss receiving authority (Swiss certification and notarisation practice) produces a certified English–German translation with a certification statement, prepared for the requirements of the intended Swiss receiving authority.

What does an English translation cost?

The price depends on volume, field, direction and deadline. After a brief review we name a binding fixed price; standard certificates usually at a flat fee per document. As a guide, from CHF 1.09 per standard line; in Switzerland plus VAT.

Do you translate into British or American English?

Both. We set the target variety before the project starts — British, American or international English — and keep spelling, terminology and conventions consistent via a style guide and translation memory.

Are English documents certified for Swiss authorities?

Yes. For submission to Swiss authorities, a qualified translator (with notarial certification) produces a certified English–German translation; for foreign documents we clarify in advance whether an apostille is required — the apostille is issued by the competent authority, not the translation service.

Is a German "authorised" translator the same as a "sworn translator" in the UK or USA?

No. Court authorisation is a concept of German and continental-European law. The UK and USA have no state swearing-in of translators; there a "certified translation" with a signed statement of accuracy from a qualified translator counts — in the USA sometimes additionally notarised. For submissions abroad we apply the form valid in the target country rather than passing off a German title as "sworn".

Why do I need a native professional translator for German ⇄ English?

Because the biggest errors are not grammatical: false friends (aktuell ≠ actual, eventuell ≠ eventually), "billion" as a milliard, swapped date and number formats, or a GmbH disguised as "Ltd". Such points survive any spell-check and only show up at the recipient — a native speaker with a field spots and avoids them.
Our contracts and technical documentation now go to the client in clean British English — including the legal form correctly left standing and the right date formats. Before, we had to rework every version ourselves.
★★★★★

T. Bergmann · Export management, mechanical engineering

Work with us

Become an English translator?

Working as an English translator at the FÜD means native competence, sound subject knowledge in a field such as law, medicine, technology or finance — and, for certified translations, court authorisation under Swiss certification and notarisation practice. We work continually with authorised English translators, employed or freelance.

What you work with

Fields & text types

German ⇄ English is the most requested language direction — and the most demanding in detail. Whether a contract follows British or US law, an annual report meets IFRS conventions or a clinical study sits safely for approval decides usability; add patents, websites and marketing — each in the right target variety. Anyone who translates here works at the edge where language becomes legal certainty.

Language & the future

English in the market and the AI era

Honestly viewed, machine translation shifts much routine into post-editing — yet for contracts, approvals and balance sheets with liability, checked professional translation stays a human matter, and keeping the target variety British, American or international clean reliably eludes any machine. As the global lingua franca, demanding English stays in strong demand; the work becomes harder, not less. Anyone who takes language seriously finds a rare combination of craft, responsibility and meaning.

Introduce yourselfRoute into the profession

Next

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Specialist fields

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Documents

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