English LanguageStart - Smart Words

German <-> English

This site helps you to translate full text from English to German or vice versa.
You'll never have to touch paper dictionaries again — and we provide some interesting language related information about word history, usage, etymology and hidden meanings.

Advice

If you have decided to learn English with films or series, the question is whether you want to watch movies with or without subtitles. The decision depends on two factors:

Some movies are next to impossible to understand even for medium to advanced ESL students (“Pirates of the Caribbean” is one example).
When you have problems, not only in terms of vocabulary, but to interpret the phonetics, use subtitles! However, recent research confirms, that subtitles in your native tongue will not help you much! So use the foreign language subtitles!

If you are not only looking for entertainment, it is also recommended to watch documentaries, since they will improve your general knowledge.

The Translation Process & the final Product

The product of the translation process (e.g. English to German) is a text in another language which, more or less, carries the same meaning and creates the same thoughts and impressions in the reader as the original text does.

Requirements concerning the quality of the translation process and that of its product do differ substantially and should always be agreed upon between the client and the translator before the start of the translation process.

The product of translation is a text therefore the quality of the text does not only depend on the quality of the translation but also on the word processing and related tools used. The agreement on translation therefore should also cover the format of the input and the output.

 

Localization is a service that combines translation and writing skills with the knowledge of the area of future use of the text and assumes close collaboration between the client and the localization service provider.

If you want to “polish” the translation have a look at this list of transitions words , and also it is always a good idea to use synonyms, which will make your essay, text, story, etc. more vivid and help the reading flow.

How to avoid mistakes?

Learning German (or English)

It is best to learn foreign languages in their natural environment. But not everyone can afford an expensive language course. And once you are back to your familiar environment, whatever you learned, will fade quickly. Movies, television series and also documentaries offer a cheap alternative.

What are the advantages?

The by far biggest advantage of films is that they represent a natural language environment. From the context (of the plot), many statements can be understood without knowing the proper translation of every word.
In addition, you will learn a lot of idioms and phrasal verbs, since writers of the scripts tend to naturally embrace them.

One of the most used series in language schools is “Friends”, since it employs a sophisticated vocabulary, combined with very clear pronunciation. Another, more recent television sitcom, is the American blockbuster “The Big Bang Theory” (TBBT) about the nerds at the university ;-). Quite a few episodes of both series are freely available on YouTube.

Dictonary

Tools used in the translation process include printed, electronic hand-held or online dictionaries, glossaries, translator’s mail groups or fora, translation memories and translation software.

Some tools are available free of charge or for an affordable price, some are costly and recommended for use by professionals only.

Dictionaries are for reference purposes and we do not buy them for a short period of use. Price is not of our main concern, we need a good dictionary for our specific purposes and if it is available in one format only, we will make do with it.