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German Translation Services
We offer professional translation services for English to German,
German to English, German to Chinese and Chinese to German language pairs. Also we translate German to and from any other world
language.
Our team consists of expert German translators. All translators specialize in different fields such as legal, financial, technical, medical and others. We have excellent software engineers and quality assurance German editors who can localize any software product or a website. We professionally translate websites of all difficulties whether it is static HTML website or advanced C++/ASP.NET driven website.
In the era of globalization, you definitely would want to consider to localize your website to German language! This is the most cost-effective investment you can make to expand your business!
We make it possible. Our translation process is flawless and hassle free.
Translate to German your legal correspondence and financial documents and you will get a competitive advantage over other companies which
have not done that yet. LocaTran Translations is your reliable partner for all your German translation needs.
German Language Facts
Official Language:
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Alsace-Lorraine (France),
Northern Italy, East-Belgium, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein
Number of speakers:
100 million (approx)
Origin:
German Language - Old High German dates back to 8th Century and
is similar in many respects to Anglo-Saxon
Alphabet & Scripts:
Roman - Additional Letter ß (Double SS). Traditional
Gothic script. (Fraktur) was revived during the 3rd Reich
(1933-45) and this can still be seen on some buildings
History of the Language:
Today German is spoken by more than 100 million people.
Following the American Wars of Independence, the Continental
Congress convened in Philadelphia and considered adopting a new
language for the future of the United States.
When it came to the vote, English was chosen above German as
the language of the new republic – by only one vote!
German a Germanic language, is a member of the Indo-European
language family. At some time during the disintegration of the
Indo-European Community a group of tribes made their way to
north-west Europe and there developed a Bronze Age Culture
probably around 2 000 BC.
In time, the Indo-European dialect of the settlers underwent a
changes which made it essentially a new language now known as
Germanic or Primitive Germanic. By 500 BC, these nomadic tribes
had begun to expand from their scattered Scandinavian and North
German communities into the heart of the European Continent until
finally they were brought to a halt on the frontiers of the Roman
Empire.
The stabilising force, which emerged as the Germanic world came
to rest, was the Frankish Empire from the fifth century AD to the
end of the reign of Charlemagne in 1814. By conquest or peaceful
annexation, the Franks gradually drew together all the Germanic
peoples of Continental Europe with only the Scandinavian North and
Anglo-Saxon Britain remaining separate.
During the centuries that followed there was no standard
language of the people but rather a variety of dialects; Low
German dialects in the North and High German dialects in Middle
and Southern Germany.
The language used from about AD 700-1050 by monks, clerics and
the aristocracy is now known as Old High German. However, this
does not denote any simple unified language but is rather the
collective name for the language of the educated at that time,
with its regional variations.
Old High German gradually developed into Middle High German.
The common people continued to speak in their dialects and by 1350
a need was becoming felt for a type of German which would be
adequate for the whole range of human activity.
The translation of the Bible into Middle German by Martin
Luther (1483-1546) was a major contribution to the final victory
of this dialect as a common German language. East Middle German
formed the basis of the modern standard language we know today.
The German Language:
Standard German is known today simply as "Hochdeutsch"
(High German), and this is used almost always for written German.
Books and newspapers are printed in standard German. "Hochdeutsch"
is spoken by educated speakers everywhere. However, regional
variants exist in the spoken language owing largely to the
influence of the old dialects, although the dialects themselves
are falling out of use.
"Hochdeutsch" in its purist form can be heard on the
classical stage (known as "Bühnendeutsch"). A speaker
of "Hochdeutsch" would be understood everywhere and this
is used in the Linguaphone courses.
Traditionally German was written in a Gothic style known as
Fraktur, which dates from the fourteenth century. However, from
1945 onwards, the Roman characters used throughout the rest of
Europe superseded Fraktur.
Pronunciation of the German language is pleasingly simple. For
example the word ‘Pflug’ (plough) may first look difficult to
pronounce but try sounding every letter and your pronunciation
would be correct.
Finally…
You know of course what a "Hamburger" is but what
would you say if you were offered a "Berliner"? The
right answer would be; "Vielen Dank. Ja, bitte" (–
Thank you. Yes, please) – provided you like doughnuts!
Capital - Berlin
Other main cities - Hamburg, Munich, Cologne,
Frankfurt, Essen, Dortmund, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Bremen,
Hanover, Duisberg,
Area (km²) - 356,733
Population - 82,012,162
Currency - Euro
History of Germany
The Franks, one of a number of tribes known to have lived in
the region of modern Germany from the end of the 2nd century BC,
were led to European dominance by the Emperor Charlemagne who was
crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800AD, and for several hundred years
it was common for the German ruler to possess the title. From 1438
to its decline the Hapsburg line ruled the Holy Roman Empire.
The Thirty Years War (1618-48) left the empire in disarray and
by 1815 Austria and Prussia were struggling over control of
Germany. Germany was finally united by Otto Von Bismarck, a
Prussian Prime Minister, in three wars against Denmark, Austria
and France.
Wilhelm I of Prussia was declared Emperor of Germany and the
Second German Reich began. Wilhelm II’s foreign policy met with
defeat in the First World War and the Second German Reich fell, to
be replaced by the moderate Weimar Republic.
There was much national resentment towards the Weimar
government and Adolf Hitler exploited these feelings, becoming
chancellor in 1933 and rearming from 1934. Between 1934 and 1938
the Rhineland was reoccupied, Austria was annexed and alliances
with Italy strengthened. The invasion of Poland in 1939 is
commonly seen as the beginning of World War II.
After the German surrender the nation was divided into 4
occupied zones. The Federal Republic of Germany was declared in
1949 with Bonn as the capital, while the Soviet dominated East
Germany became the Democratic Republic of Germany. The erection of
the Berlin Wall in 1961 intensified the division of the two
Germanys until 1973 when both nations were accepted for membership
of the United Nations.
With the collapse of Communism and the destruction of the
Berlin wall in 1989 Germany was on it’s way to becoming a united
country once more.
Germany's 16 federated states form one of the major
industrialised nations of central Europe and a key player in the
European Union.
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