GERALDINE L. MILLER

ABOUT ME

My career as a professional translator started over 20 years ago in 2001 as the in-house translator at the Administrative Headquarters of the Max Planck Society in Munich, Germany. After living in Germany for 14 years, I returned to Canada and started my translation business. Since then, I have prepared a wide range of English translations and helped countless clients reach the English-speaking world.

I was raised in West Vancouver, B.C., Canada where I was exposed to German at a young age. I earned a B.A. honors (first-class) in German from the University of British Columbia. During this program, I completed an advanced-level German course at the Goethe Institute in Iserlohn, Germany that culminated in the Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung (grade: very good). This exam equates to the C1 level in the Common European Framework of Languages. I went on to earn an M.A. in German from the University of Toronto and a translation degree (Diplom Übersetzerin) from the University of Mainz in Germersheim, Germany. My near-native command of the German language and excellent English writing skills combined with my dedication to the craft and familiarity with the German culture and way of life allow me to produce high-quality translations for my clients.

TRANSLATION SERVICE

My translation and writing skills were developed during my university training and honed over the course of my career. I have a keen eye for detail, possesses staying power to find the right wording, and favor quality over quantity and speed. Your documents will be given the time and consideration they require and will undergo a sound translation process that incorporates several review steps. Depending on the document type, its intended purpose, and confidentiality terms, an external copy-editing step might be needed. This will be discussed with you in advance.

Current and past clients include major companies in the automotive, banking, consulting, cosmetics, and energy sectors as well as German and Austrian government ministries, military, tourist attractions, SMEs, universities, and private clients. My favorite texts to translate are in the humanities and social sciences. A recent work order completed in the summer of 2023 was a book translation about the location of the first European (Viking) settlement in North America.

If you require assistance with a German document, please feel free to contact me. My goal is to assist you in a timely and efficient manner.

Rates: My source word rate is between CAD 0.12 and CAD 0.20 plus HST depending on the subject matter, format, and deadline. If it is not possible to obtain a word count due to the format of the text, an hourly rate applies.

POST-EDITING SERVICE

Unless specifically requested, the translations I prepare are not run through a machine! Machine translation has upended the industry and made instant translations a reality for some language combinations, German into English being one of them. Machine translations have their place and are useful because they convey the gist of the source text. Sometimes, that is all that is needed. While the English translations are quite understandable, they often do not sound natural and the punctuation often reflects German punctuation rules. Furthermore, machine translations tend to translate words, whereas translators translate meaning and ideas; therein lies a world of difference. I have considerable experience in post-editing English machine translations of German texts and am familiar with the pitfalls. I am happy to have a look at your machine translation to ensure accuracy with the German source text and to make the necessary edits so that it sounds truly English.

ACADEMIC COPY-EDITING SERVICE

My career as an academic copy editor goes hand-in-hand with my successful career as a translator that spans two decades. Over the course of my career, I have gained a wealth of experience in copy editing translations prepared by colleagues. In addition to ensuring that the English document is a true and accurate translation of the German source text, I ensure that the English translation reflects correct English spelling, grammar, and punctuation and that there is consistency within the English translation when it comes to specialized terms, abbreviations, number treatment, US/UK spelling, source documentation, etc.

I regularly copy edit one scientific manuscript per day for a major open access publisher. Here, as with my other copy-editing work, the focus is on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and compliance with the client’s English editing guide. To date, I have edited more than 750 of these manuscripts.

If you have a term paper, culminating task, thesis, lab report, or any other written assignment for senior high school, college, or university, I am happy to assist with the copy editing. In the interest of quality assurance, copy editing should be performed by a fresh pair of eyes to catch things that can be easily overlooked by the author.

CONFIDENTIALITY

I conclude non-disclosure agreements with all my clients regardless of the service provided. Any and all documents received for the work order are handled confidentially in my designated home office and are not shared with third parties. Hard copies provided by the client are returned, and any printouts I make are shredded. The files on my computer are password-protected.

CONTACT

The best way to contact me is at geraldine@germantoenglish.ca.
I am happy to provide more information upon request.