{"id":271,"date":"2016-09-19T13:55:42","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T11:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rita-dachner.com\/en\/?page_id=271"},"modified":"2026-09-17T16:19:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:19:42","slug":"your-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/arin-dachner.com\/en\/translating-your-old-german-documents\/your-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before deciding to hire me, you’ll probably have some questions. You’ll find my answers to some frequent questions on this page. But if there’s anything else you’d like to know, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you make any changes to words and sentences while transcribing old script?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As a basic rule, I don’t change anything, but only transliterate word by word, and, as far as possible, letter by letter. Even if there are spelling and grammar mistakes in the original text, I will transcribe them exactly as they are and not “correct” anything, because that might have a distorting effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, spelling mistakes might even play an important role – for example, when the spelling of surnames changed over time because someone spelled it differently on an official document. In other cases, the original writing style just gives you a better picture of the writer. When I look at the errors my great-great-grandfather made when he wrote a letter, it helps me to see him as a real person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you really read everything? What happens when there’s something you can’t read? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Almost. Despite having lots of practice, there are some hands that even I can barely read. I’m glad this only happens rarely. A more common problem is when there are a few words or abbreviations in an otherwise legible text that I can’t decipher. In that case I will mark these words in my transcription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do I need to know about your English translations?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My native language is German, and professional translators usually translate into their native languages. This is because, no matter how hard you’ve studied a foreign language, you won’t be perfect at it. However, translating simpler documents such as birth certificates, church records, or shorter letters and postcards, is usually rather easy. But please note that my English is not perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used AI to transcribe documents for me, but I’m unhappy with the results. Would you correct these transcriptions?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Correcting transcriptions is usually just as much work as transcribing the same text myself, unfortunately. I’m of course willing to help, but at my normal rate. Instead of counting on AI to transcribe every detail, it is more efficient when you use an AI to analyze many pages of documents in Kurrent script (for example, a diary or a pile of letters) and identify those parts you’d like to have a detailed transcription\/translation of. As of now, this approach still requires some technical expertise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you calculate the price for transcriptions and translations?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The price is simply based on the number of words (or, for longer documents, pages) in the original document. My basic price<\/a> is 0,12 \u20ac per word for only transcription, and 0,16 \u20ac per word for transcription plus English translation, but I reserve the right to set a higher price for especially complicated, difficult-to-read documents. On the other hand, I’ll happily give discount for simple or long texts. Especially for longer documents, like diaries or collections of letters, I prefer setting an individual price per page – usually between 7 \u20ac and 12 \u20ac. For further clarification, just send me a message<\/a> with a sample page and I’ll name a binding price for your documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before deciding to hire me, you’ll probably have some questions. You’ll find my answers to some frequent questions on this page. But if there’s anything else you’d like to know, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. Do you make any changes to words and sentences while transcribing old script? As a basic … <\/p>\n

Read moreYour Questions<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":265,"menu_order":98,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"parvati_pageheader":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-271","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"\n- Your Questions - Arin Dachner<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Answers to some frequent questions regarding the deciphering or transcription of old German documents into modern script.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arin-dachner.com\/en\/translating-your-old-german-documents\/your-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"- Your Questions - Arin Dachner\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Answers to some frequent questions regarding the deciphering or transcription of old German documents into modern script.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arin-dachner.com\/en\/translating-your-old-german-documents\/your-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arin Dachner\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-17T14:19:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arin-dachner.com\\\/en\\\/translating-your-old-german-documents\\\/your-questions\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arin-dachner.com\\\/en\\\/translating-your-old-german-documents\\\/your-questions\\\/\",\"name\":\"- Your Questions - 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