Services

Our 53 linguists from nine countries
deliver much more than “just” perfect translations!

SPECIALIZED TEAMS

Frequently, you will need something more than a simple translation to communicate your message. In such cases, your linguistic support system must be able to take on more than the “language” aspects of your project. Good texts arise from a detailed understanding of different media and the distinct language-related requirements of each. Perhaps a text needs to be adapted, reworked or even completely rewritten to work in a specific medium. The key to success is knowledge about upstream and downstream processes in each individual project and the steps that go into producing your communication.
Our specialized Studio teams have all of that covered. Your Leinhäuser account manager will masterfully coordinate the interactions among these various players and make sure you end up with exactly the right result.

Copywriting and transcreation

Our most creative linguists, international copywriters, social media content creators and trained journalists join forces to prepare your texts. They work seamlessly with our account management team comprised of people with a love of and knack for words.

FAQs for our Creative Team

Who will write my texts?

We work exclusively with native speakers who will compose and adapt your texts in ways that will clearly communicate the message you want to convey to your target market and target group. Our internal multilingual writing team works closely with our external network to cover as many languages and topics as possible. The result is texts that have exactly the right blend of creativity, subject-matter expertise and cultural sensitivity.

How does the writing process begin?

We start by conducting a briefing with you. This briefing serves as a roadmap for our writers. Before we begin, we make certain that we clearly understand your ideas about the content and purpose of the text.

What makes up a good briefing?

If you haven’t drawn up your own briefing, we will speak with you, write the briefing ourselves and review it with you. We’re also be happy to share our templates with you. They will help you answer all the crucial questions.

Is it possible to turn a rough outline and a few text samples into an engaging story?

We really appreciate every sort of text input we can get, things like prewritten text components or comparable published material. But we can also start from scratch. Our writers love a journalistic challenge. This is why close collaboration is so important.

How do you ensure that the text will reflect my current communication style?

When we select a writer for a particular job, we look at more than the individual’s professional skills. We also think about whether that person’s style will suit your tone and corporate identity. This is particularly important for ghostwriting assignments in which an individual’s communication style has to be internalized.

Are the texts edited?

No successful author works in a vacuum. A second writing professional works beside him or her and knows the briefing in and out. This second critical pair of eyes is standard in our process.

Do you need a different briefing for digital platforms?

The right tone for social media content, a pithy post for LinkedIn or a blog peppered with keywords for your website – we do more than simply shorten previously written texts. We write specifically for each separate channel and its own special needs.

How do you translate creative copy or plays on words?

Rhymes, clichés, catchy slogans, advertising spots, text that references visual media these are the kinds of content that our transcreation pros tackle to ensure that your messages have the same impact in the target language as they do in the original.

How can I judge a creative text if I can’t read the target language?

Our multilingual transcreation specialists supply a few variations, retranslations of them and detailed explanations about the target-language content.

How can I be certain that my campaign will be well-received internationally?

For these kinds of international campaigns, we closely examine your marketing content from a linguistic and cultural point of view. In these reviews, we’re looking for any aspects that might put your visuals at risk for conveying negative connotations in a different market, or that your product name might be mispronounced there or even be associated with something unsavory or embarrassing.

Abigail Keiper
Creative Studio Manager

Audiovideo localization, DTP, iSEO

The team combines language skills with media know-how. Translations are integrated into existing layouts or expertly aligned with timecodes, and the right tone is found for voiceovers. International websites move up the rankings thanks to the right keywords.

FAQs for our Media Team

I need subtitles in 13 languages. Won’t that take an eternity?

To put it simply: No. We can work on all languages simultaneously with the help of project templates and efficient processes. This saves time and money while ensuring consistency in all languages.

My video is filled with technical terms. Will that be a problem?

Not at all. Our translators are experienced in each of their particular subject areas. They also use word and sentence databases that assure consistency and quality.

Can I sit in on the voiceover sessions for my videos?

Yes, we can happily hook you up to the sound studio during the recording session. We even encourage it. If you would like to alter the style, emphasis or pronunciation, we can do as many new takes as necessary until everything is just right.

Can the subtitles be directly integrated into the video?

Absolutely. You decide whether the video will include a separate subtitle file (closed captions) or use integrated subtitles (open captions). It’s also up to you how the open captions will appear in the video.

How will my video be transcribed?

It all depends on your needs and the suitability of the video material itself. The job can be done traditionally by hand or with the help of speech recognition AI. Both options have their strengths and weaknesses. No matter which option you choose, an additional linguist will carefully edit the transcript before it leaves our hands.

I have an .indd file. Can you do my translation directly in InDesign?

Yes, we can. We even recommend that you do so! The manual process of copying texts from professional layout and typesetting programs is now a thing of the past. We import your file into our translation tool, where the translation and editing takes place. Once this work is completed, we export it to you in its original format.

What is foreign language typesetting? Can’t any graphic designer put a document into layout regardless of the target language?

Foreign language typesetting frequently begins before the translation starts. The original document can be prepared with the subsequent translation in mind to minimize the amount of work required on each of the target languages during the typesetting stage. In this approach, for example, considerations are made about the possibility of translations taking up to 30% more space than the source language. Paragraph formatting is checked, unnecessary paragraph marks are removed, and indexes and cross-references are reviewed. Non-editable graphics and images are identified in this step and exported if necessary.

My source file for the translation contains images and graphics with text in various formats (.jpg, .ai, .psd, etc.). Can you work with these texts?

Certainly. State-of-the-art extraction tools and process-supporting programming enable us to remove the texts from graphics created with all widely used programs (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.) and to reinsert them afterward. We can always find a solution for photo formats, from reproducing the visual and text material completely to working with simple multilingual text-only tables.

What is an “end layout”? Can you do the final layout in the target languages as well?

If desired, we can even design the layout of the translations on the basis of the original. The result is a completely laid-out document in the target language. Visual elements (illustration, graphics, photos, etc.) are referenced over the course of translation to ensure that images and text are correctly aligned at all times.

Will one last quality check be done at the end of the process, and can customer approval reviews be included in the planning as well?

Of course. The translated and edited foreign language text undergoes one final review in layout. A linguist will check such design and linguistic elements as text completeness, line breaks, bullet point formatting, punctuation marks, font weight and much more.

Why do I need iSEO analysis and adaptation for the texts on my website?

Search behavior and search volume differ from country to country. This means that the simple translation of keywords is not enough. The focal points of international SEO include cultural insights, language and knowledge about local markets. This process will ensure that your internationalized website will not slip down the ranking list. We offer iSEO for texts in all optimization stages, based on your individual goals.

Elisabeth Leise
Team Manager
Audiovisual Services

Layout proofreading, text proofreading, editing, MT editing

From text correction to text polishing: This team knows exactly what your text needs to reach its goal. Our meticulous and style-savvy linguists ensure that language is correctly used, all while keeping the project context and your corporate language firmly in mind.

FAQs for our Editorial Team

What is editing?

Editing is the act of fine-tuning the style, tone and content of a text to produce the greatest-possible impact on the target audience. A well-edited text speaks personally to your readers. This, in turn, increases its acceptance.

When does a translation require additional editing?

Some texts contain specific cultural features (structures, style, imagery) for which a traditional translation would not suffice. During the editing process, we take a closer look at the text, rewrite it, polish it and restructure it – to ensure that it has the right impact.

What’s the difference between proofreading and editing?

A proofreader will review a text and correct such things as spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation marks, capitalization, spaces and hyphenation – i.e., language issues. A proofreader will not rework the style of a text.

When does a text require proofreading?

Proofreading is particularly important for texts that will be distributed externally (things like press releases, articles, blog posts, white papers, etc.). Mistakes contained in such texts can hurt a company’s image.

What about layout proofreading before a document is published?

Layout work is prone to errors – punctuation marks disappear, words or numbers are switched around, last-minute changes are carelessly implemented. Layout proofreading can ensure that the impact of your text on readers is not spoiled by any errors that occurred during the layout phase.

Do you also check page proofs even if you did not write the text yourself?

We’re happy to take over the layout proofreading for third-party texts. To maintain consistency and achieve optimal results in this setup, it’s important that we have access to all the reference material that went into composing the text, such as a style guide.

How do you review machine translations (MT)?

Even the very latest translation engines have their limitations, particularly when it comes to irony, allusions, unusual verbal images, jokes and vague wording. Our linguists will spot and rewrite anything that the machine did not correctly “understand”.

When is it a bad idea to use machine translation?

A number of different types of texts should not undergo machine translation. They include texts that have very particular content (things like special trade jargon or internal terms and abbreviations), that use creative imagery (metaphors, clichés and irony) and that contain sensitive information (e.g., annual reports or internal company information) that should not be stored in translations engines accessible to the general public.

Kristiane Wehrmann
Team Manager Editorial Studio

TechHelp, GroupShare, tools, preprocessing

Our support teams apply their technical expertise to ensure that the right tools are used at the right time for the purpose of achieving optimal workflow. As a result, you can focus on the thing that matters most: your content.

FAQs for our Tech Team

Can you integrate my own tools or platforms into your translation process?

In theory, anything is possible, from working with exports to programming a special API and full integration into both of our system landscapes. Our team will find the most efficient way to collaborate with you.

Can you translate texts from my CMS?

Yes, of course. Each content management system has a different level of “translation friendliness” and requires a tailored translation process as a result. Depending on the degree that your CMS is designed for localization (WordPress or Typo3, for example, are fairly easy to work with), we will determine with your help what is the most practical, time-saving and cost-efficient approach.

Can you help me optimize my translation processes?

We are familiar with all sorts of optimization options, in terms of both processes and technical solutions. Our team is happy to walk you through a few examples of appropriate translation processes that would meet your needs.

Can we use your translation memories (TMs)?

We host and manage our own Trados GroupShare server in our offices in Unterhaching. If you or your partners have the latest version of Trados Studio, we can create shared server TMs, set up users as needed and familiarize you with the entire process.

Can you manage our terminology online so that we also have access to it?

Yes, that’s possible. We convert your terminology and glossaries into a term bank (a type of online dictionary) and host it on our secure server. You can maintain it yourself or ask us to do the work. No special software is needed to access the term bank. All it takes is an internet browser.

Do you have a tool-supported process for the feedback or approval stages?

Yes. We have a project server that also provides browser-based access to the translations. Your team can provide direct feedback as part of the translation process. This feedback can then be validated and used by our linguists.

How do you ensure that my reference texts will be consulted during the translation?

We prepare your text files in such way that they are available in our databases (translation memories/ TMs, term banks) for analysis and translation purposes. You benefit in two ways here: The previously translated material will be incorporated into the quote we submit to you. The translator will also have access to it and can reference previously used words and phrases.