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History:

I began translating legal documents when I was student at Amsterdam Law School. As a German native speaker living in Holland for many years, it was the obvious thing to do.

In February 1995, after graduating with a masters degree in Dutch law from the Universiteit van Amsterdam,
I started specializing in the translation of legal and juridical documents, as well as in the editorial revision of such documents.

 

The Background:

Demands for high quality legal translations are twofold:
a) idiomatic, orthographic, semantic and grammatical correctness,
b) correctness of contents.
There is a necessity for linguistic skills as well as legal skills to fulfil both demands.
The American lawyer Francisco Avalos defines the principle as follows: "Legal translating requires two basic skills. The first skill is a fundamental knowledge of the original and target languages. The second skill is an intelligent grasp of the legal system of each of the countries involved. The state of these two conditions, in the legal translator, will determine the quality of a legal translation. A good legal translator has the ability to not only retain the integrity of the legal information of a document, but to capture nuance inherent in a language, while also respecting the author's writing style."

 

Location:

Eulenhaupt Translation Services headquarters is in Amsterdam/Holland, though most of the time you will find me in Berlin/Germany.

 

Target Audience:

Who do I work for?
Lawyers (e.g. attorneys or solicitors) and companies.

 

References:

I would be pleased to send prospects a list of my clients/customers upon request.

 

Source and Target Languages:

The following language combinations are offered:

English	—	German		Sample
English	—	Dutch		Sample
Dutch	—	German		Sample
German	—	Dutch		Sample
German	—	English*		Sample
Dutch	—	English*		Sample

 

Specialities:

In the main I translate ITC-related items e.g. software-licensing agreements, internet service provider agreements, etc. Furthermore, I found myself engaged in a number of voluminous financial translation projects in recent month (see the Sample page). In general, I consider myself competent when it comes to "big boards" that need to be drilled i.e. projects, where the ability to gather information about conformity, similarity and difference among Anglo-Saxon, Dutch and German legislation and judicial is essential in order to achieve proper translation results.

 

Subcontracting:

Translations into German and Dutch are carried out by myself almost exclusively. However, since demand at Eulenhaupt Translation Services has shown significant growth over the years, in particular with regard to translation work from German and Dutch into English (*), I started to delegate assignments by subcontracting to other translators who are English native speakers. In the course of time, I established a collaborative relationship with a handful of colleagues. Selection (took) takes place upon noteworthy/conspicuous autodidactic potential (legal and/or linguistic), education, and, first and foremost, technical experience!

 

Confidentiality:

It goes without saying: all assignments will be treated with the utmost confidentiality Without any doubt, confidentiality - along with quality and punctuality - is the most important factor in Eulenhaupt Translation Services' relationship to its clients.

 

Computer Aided Translation:

Computer aided translation simplifies the processing and management of text that are (largely) identical not only in terminology but also in structure. Computer aided translation software memorizes words and syntax. This is especially useful not only with repetitive text but also with information that needs frequent updating. However, with legal translations, experience has shown that such tools are not much help. Which does not mean, on the other hand, that they are useless. As it is, special translation aid software might be really useful for terminology management purposes, though "common" tools (like MS* Works database or MS* Excel) would most likely fulfil such a task. According to my experience, computer aided translation is most appropriate when it comes to digital dictionary sources, and of course the Web with its vast range of online tools for language research.

 

File Formats I can Create and Edit:

txt.	text only
rtf.	rich text format
htm.	hypertext markup
pdf.	portable document format
wp.	Corel* WordPerfect
wdb.	MS* Works, Database
wks.	MS* Works, Spreadsheet
wps.	MS* Works, Word Processing
xls.	MS* Excel
doc.	MS* Word

*trademarks are the respective property of their registered owners

 

Hard-Copy and Digital Dictionary Sources at my Disposal:

Langenscheidt PC Library, German - English - German, Common, IT, Law/Economics. Bibliographisches Institut & F.A. Brokhaus AG, Langenscheidt KG;

Duden PC Bibliothek, Bibliographisches Institut & F.A. Brokhaus AG, Langenscheidt KG;

Romain Bader Byrd, English - German - English Dictionary of Legal and Commercial Terms. C.H. Beck, Helbing & Lichterhahn;

Von Eichborn, German - English - German Der große Eichborn Wirtschaftswörterbuch, Siebenpunkt;

Clara-Erika Dietl, Egon Lorenz, German - English - German Dictionary of Legal, Commercial and Political Terms, C.H. Beck;

Gerhard Köbler, Juristisches Wörterbuch, Vahlen;

Fockema Andreae, Verwijzend en Verklarend Juridisch Woordenboek, Wolters-Noordhoff.

Van Dale, Comprehensive Dictionary English - Dutch - English, Van Dale Lexicografie;

Van Dale, Comprehensive Dictionary German - Dutch - German, Van Dale Lexicografie;

Van Dale, Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal, Van Dale Lexicografie;

Van Amerongen, Terminology Financial Management, English - Dutch - English, Kluwer;

Wilhelm Schäfer, German - English - German Business and Economics Dictionary, Vol. II, Vahlen;

Hans Langendorf, Legal Dictionary Dutch - German, Kluwer, C.H. Beck;

Matthias Scheer, Legal Dictionary German - Dutch, Kluwer, C.H. Beck;

Bryan A. Garner, Henry Cambell Black's Law Dictionary, Pocket Edition, West Publishing.

Agreement upon Document Translation and Revision:

Accepting an assignment means to agree upon terms, prices and deadlines.
In sum: if you are convinced it is best to entrust the translation of important legal documents to experts, then e-mail, call or fax me.

 

General Terms of Agreement:

Terms of Business of the Netherlands Society of Translators shall apply accordingly to legally binding transactions between Eulenhaupt Translation Services and the customer.

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© 2007 Michael Eulenhaupt LL.M. (Amsterdam)