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History of German to English

As described in the history of the English language, English has many strong German roots, with roughly one third of its vocabulary drawn from the German language (another one third from Old French, and the remaining one third from Greek/Latin). Even Germans have been heard to contest this fact, but one only needs to pick up a German/English dictionary to see the similarity between the two languages.

During the founding and development of America, which was basically only possible by the import of many Europeans (or the theft of Africans for the purpose of slave labour to help with its economic expansion), there even developed rumours of Germany becoming the official language of the new country. But this has proven to be an old wives tale, as dispelled in this analysis [[check PR..]] . When we [the owner of these pages, with his family] first moved to Canada from the Czech Republic following the invasion of that latter country by the Russian communists in 1968, my parents made efforts to teach me proper Czech, introducing me to some Czech study groups on the weekend. But this mission failed, although I did retain some rudimentary knowledge of the language, which I developed to greater measure later when I moved back to Prague and became a professional translator.

I have friends who speak both perfect English and Czech, but they informed me that their parents were so strict, they would stop the car and throw them out if they heard English spoken within it.
My parents were hardly that strict, and instead might have used English conversation with me to help improve their own level, as it was important for their work and professional success. And this I feel is how the natural transition to a local language of a migrating family takes place. The parents may retain nationalistic aspirations of keeping their heritage alive, but their offspring would tend to resist this in an effort to assimilate themselves with their peers and win greater acceptance at school. This, after all, is the natural generation gap which develops as the budding and insecure teenager seeks to be accepted by their age group.
In the US great efforts were made by the elder German immigrants to retain their heritage. In 1794 German language farmers in Augusta, Virginia petitioned the House of Representatives for a translation of the law and other government regulations, but their plea was simply ignored. During the War of Independence and the War of 1812, anti-English sentiments were running high, but even so, Americans of German decent comprised only 9% of the overall population. In Pennsylvania, where the German population was the greatest, it still only comprised one third of the state's total.

Parents often made a valiant effort to send their children to German speaking schools and to preserve their heritage in various ways. Enrolment to German speaking elementary schools peaked between the years of 1880 and 1910, when more than 160,000 students attended German speaking Catholic schools, 50,000 to Missouri Synod Lutheran schools, a number which increased to 100,000 by the end of this period. A favourite saying was often heard by those who aspired for the language's preservation: "Honor the German language! For the spirit of your forefathers is preserved in its words!" Germans have a tendency to be proud, their nation accomplishing many great successes in the past, but such aspirations can often be futile in the face of youngsters who want to be accepted by their peers, or parents who need to polish and improve their English for professional and monetary reasons, or who otherwise simply do not have the time, energy or financial resources to nurture this language in or out of their home. In any case, many German parents did make an effort, but this too was confronted by the native population who resented any infringement on the great founding virtues of their forefathers. For example, in Nebraska in 1919 the legislature would read: "No person, individually or as a teacher, shall, in any private, denominational, parochial or public school teach any subject to any person in any language other than the English language." One state representative typified the majority opinion when he said: "If these people are Americans, let them speak our language. If they don't know it, let them learn it. If they don't like it, let them move. . . ."

But this strong resistance was the direct result of the first world war, when many German Americans were ashamed of their heritage and when much of the passionate call for preservation dissipated. It was not until 1923 that the above law was declared unconstitutional and every American restored the right to learn whatever language they wanted to. But after this war period the wind certainly left the sails and much of any momentum supporting the teaching of this language and culture was extinguished on the North American continent.
As one author wrote: ". . .the anti-Germanism in this country during the First World War so shamed and dismayed my parents that they resolved to raise me without acquainting me with the language or the literature or the music or the oral family histories which my ancestors had loved. They volunteered to make me ignorant and rootless as proof of their patriotism".
Yet German patriotism and pride can remain strong among some, who may have been instrumental in spreading the rumour that German almost became the official language of the US. However, the truth of the matter is that this presumed proposition was never brought to the congressional floor and a vote was never taken.
For a century before the first world war, the push was the greatest, such that by 1910 roughly 9 million Americans spoke German as their mother tongue. At the turn of the century, of about half a million students counted by the German-American Teachers Association, almost half were attending public schools, where pressure by the local population stifled great efforts made by the German speaking population to have their language effectively taught there.
The language was most spoken in Pennsylvania, where it developed the nickname "Pennsylvania Dutch", but it peaked there around 1880 and was the everyday language of only 750,000 people.
But by the first world war, anti-German hysteria was so intense that some states even prevented the Missouri Synod Lutherans from teaching the Lutheran Bible in German. They call America the melting pot, and this notion is strongly supported by the local population, who expect all who come to their country to assimilate themselves into the local culture and learn to read and write English. In any case, some German pockets of culture have remained, giving birth to such interesting German deviations as Pennsylvania Dutch and Texas German. Never enough to force German as the official or a official language of the US. If anything, Spanish seems to be knocking on that door.

How to Find Quality German to English Translators

Many of our German to English translators are positioned in Germany. It is important to find translators living in countries, such as Germany, where their target language is commonly spoken. A German to English translator living in a country, such as Germany, where their target language is commonly spoken has ample opportunity to practice that language and keep up to date with the latest trends and terminology of the language. A German to English translator living in a country, such as Germany, where their target language is not commonly spoken may be positioned in a community of native speakers of that language. A German to English translator living in a country, such as Germany, where their target language is not commonly spoken can keep up to date with the latest trends and terminology by reading current publications or surfing relevant sources on the internet.

It is not wise to limit oneself when looking for German to English translators and it is good to advertise for every translator in every country, not just in Germany. Sometimes a German to English translator of a commonly expensive language combination happens to live in a lower cost country, not necessarily in Germany, in which case they are able to offer their services at a lower rate. We estimate that less than 15% of German to English translators can produce a fairly high quality translation, so it is important to find as many translators as possible. Not all German to English translators are always reliable what concerns deadlines or care about their work, so it is important to compile an extensive list of German to English translators, and to have ample opportunity to test their reliability. It is a good idea to use a separate proofreader to read over a German to English translation once it is completed, because people are not machines, sometimes they get tired and make mistakes, and using the services of a proofreader can guarantee that the quality is what the customer requires. It is good to support the German to English translator, such as with a specialist in the subject of the German to English translation and who perhaps lives in Germany, to help them with specific terminology issues, or to help them understand more complex concepts. There are many websites, often positioned in their native country of Germany, which a German to English translator can refer to when performing their German to English translation services.

It is good to have a robust and up to date computer dictionary while translating, because leafing through bulky paper dictionaries can be tedious and slow, and a German to English translator might not always want to go through this translation process. German to English Translators often work at home, so that they do not have to pay for the extra overhead of an office, and it is a comfortable environment to work in. It is good to translate in one's own home because a German to English translator can control their environment to create one which most increases their productivity. It is good to translate while listening to classical music, because it is not very distracting and is known to nurture the creative part of the brain. The creative part of the brain is important for translating, because when one is translating, they are essentially creating from scratch the formulation of the text in the target language.

The advantage of translating at home is that one can take naps whenever one wants, because it is difficult to translate and focus intensely when one is dreary. It can be productive to be surrounded by plants and aquariums while translating, because they are a quality balance against electrosmog, and one needs to rest their eyes on something after staring at the computer screen constantly. Physical exercise is advisable for anyone who works for a longer period of time in front of the computer, to get the juices running through the body and help circulate blood to the brain. It is important for a German to English translator to work in a healthy and ergonomic workstation, to help with their productivity. It is possible to get tendonitis from typing a lot for a very long period of time, so it is important for a German to English translator to take regular breaks.

Back complications are a common occurrence now in the computer age, so it is important that a German to English translator be careful of this and take the necessary steps to stay healthy and avoid uncomfortable complications later in life. When looking for a German to English translator, it is good to know their background, such as their education and their work experience, even their hobbies and personal interests, or whether they are presently living in Germany. A well organised database is important when looking for the right translator for a specific project. A quality translator database should show all important information about them, such as their education, skills, work experience, and general knowledge. A quality translator database is better than a large collection of CVs, because it is much easier to perform focused searches in a well constructed database than through many, often differently constructed and designed CVs. When looking for a German to English translator for a specific project, it is often necessary to approach several already verified and tested German to English translators, because not all of them will always be available to take on a project at any specific moment. when looking for a German to English translator for a specific project, it is good to have project managers on different time zones, because someone will always be ready to give confirmation to take a project in response to the first German to English translator who announces they are available. Often it is a good idea to nurture a new German to English translator and not penalise them for mistakes, because people can learn and very possibly become like gold one day.

When dealing with German to English translators, it is important to know when to be stern and when to be forgiving and nurturing, because without the German to English translator, the translation agency is just a bag of hot air. After a German to English translator has been typing for a very long period of time, it is good to shake the fingers and exercise them properly to bring blood back to the joints and muscles. It is important to answer emails quickly and politely to the German to English translator, to develop trust and an atmosphere of mutual reliability, to always guarantee the greatest level of success for all projects. When looking for translators, it is good to have a quality reputation on the internet, otherwise new German to English translators will not trust you and not want to be part of your growing database. It is important to pay the German to English translator in a period of timely manner and diligently answer all their emails, so as to develop a quality reputation among the German to English translator community. It is good when a German to English translator changes the colour of the text and background on their computer monitor, so that they do not strain their eyes and so that they can work longer without stopping. When translating from a printed document, it is a good idea to position the document next to the computer monitor in such a way as not to strain the neck and to maintain a comfortable working position. When looking for German to English translators, one can post ads in newspapers, universities, and online forums and job placement sites, especially those positioned in Germany. It is good to have a representative in each country, like Germany, who understands the local language and knows where and how to position ads looking for German to English translators.

With very large projects, especially those which must be completed in a shorter period of time, it is necessary to have many German to English translators to choose from in the language combination, because a smaller percentage of translators are better quality and the better quality German to English translators can already be busy with other projects.

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