Language that sells, not word for word
Translation and localisation for German-speaking and Nordic markets
Language is a question of trust in any new market. We translate meaning and sales arguments – not words – so that your material sounds credible to buyers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Nordics.
Localisation
Language that sells – not a word-for-word translation
Language is a question of trust. A German buyer reads careless German-language material as a sign that the supplier isn’t committed to the market. That is a harsh verdict on a text that is perfectly understandable – but it is the verdict you get.
We don’t translate words, we translate meaning and sales arguments. In practice that means checking the established terminology of your industry, adapting the structure of the text to what local readers expect and making sure that everything about price, delivery and warranty is commercially precise.
German and Finnish are covered in-house by native speakers. For Swedish, Danish and Norwegian we coordinate native-speaking translators from our network and apply the same quality process.
We translate, among other things
- Websites and online shop product copy
- Brochures, catalogues and trade fair material
- Product sheets, data sheets and user manuals
- Quotes, tender responses and sales letters
- Newsletters, press releases and LinkedIn content
- The commercial parts of draft contracts (legal review by a lawyer)
Example
What localisation changes in practice – for German-speaking buyers
| Typical home-market style | What a German buyer expects |
|---|---|
| Short benefit promise, few details | Technical data, dimensions, materials and standards up front |
| Informal tone, first names | Formal address (Sie) in B2B communication unless agreed otherwise |
| “Contact us and we’ll tailor it” | A price or clear pricing logic and delivery time already in the material |
| References mentioned in passing | Named references, ideally German or from the DACH region |
| Certificates in an appendix | Certificates and test reports visible and easy to find |
| Contact details in the footer | An Impressum on its own page with a named responsible person |
These are generalisations, but they hold true surprisingly often. For the Nordic markets the adjustments usually go the other way: shorter, more direct and less formal. Industry-specific exceptions are always reviewed case by case.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: translation and localisation
Why not just use machine translation or AI?
You can – and we use them as tools too. The problem isn’t grammar but industry terminology, product nomenclature and commercial tone. Machine translation produces text that is technically correct but sounds foreign, and in B2B sales that is a credibility risk.
In practice the workflow is: machine translation as a base, human editing and terminology alignment, then a sales-focused review. That is faster and cheaper than pure manual work, without compromising quality.
Do you also translate technical documents?
We translate product sheets, user manuals, data sheets, safety information and tender material. Note that some product groups are subject to legal requirements: under the EU Machinery Directive and the new Machinery Regulation, for example, instructions must be provided in the language of the country of use.
Certified translations (in German: beglaubigte Übersetzung), for example of commercial register extracts, must be done by a sworn translator – we arrange these through our network.
How quickly will we get the translation?
A standard website or brochure is ready within a few working days, larger product catalogues within weeks. Urgent needs, such as finishing trade fair material, are agreed separately.
What do you need from us to start?
The source texts in an editable format, any existing terminology or glossary and information on the target audience: are we selling to industrial buyers, distributors or consumers? If you have local competitors, tell us who they are – their material shows which terms the market actually uses.
What does translation cost and how is the price calculated?
The price depends on word count, industry-specific terminology and urgency. Websites and brochures are usually priced as a project, recurring translations such as quotes or product sheets per word. You receive a fixed quote before we start.
In ongoing cooperation the price goes down, because terminology and style are agreed once and a translation memory is used: the same standard phrases are not paid for twice.
Who does the translations and how is quality assured?
Translations are done by native speakers of the target language who know your industry’s vocabulary. For sales material, what matters beyond language skills is understanding what the buyer wants to read, and in what order.
Before we start, we agree a term list: product names, technical terms and the form of address. The finished text is proofread, and you check the passages containing product-specific information yourself. That keeps translations consistent even when material is produced over a long period.
Related services
These work well together
Marketing & Communication
Content, campaigns and digital visibility built around what buyers in your target market expect – not a translated home-market campaign.
B2B Lead Generation
We identify the right decision-makers, reach out in their language and report who is interested and who isn’t. You focus on selling.
Trade Fair Services
Choosing the right fair, pre-booked meetings, native-language sales work on the stand and systematic follow-up.
Get in touch
Let’s start the conversation
Tell us where you want to grow – the DACH region or the Nordics – and we’ll work out the most sensible first step together. The first conversation is free and without obligation.