The Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Űbersetzer e.V. (BDÜ)) is Germany's largest association representing professional linguists. With more than 6,000 members, the BDÜ represents 75% of all professionally organized translators and interpreters in Germany.
Membership of the BDÜ is a sure mark of quality: all potential members have to present evidence of their professional qualifications before they can join the Association. This offers an additional safeguard for clients commissioning linguistic services and enhances the professional standing of BDÜ members.
The Association publishes the MDÜ , Germany’s most widely circulated professional journal for interpreters and translators. BDÜ members receive this journal free of charge and can also attend the Association’s professional development events (click on Seminars for further information) at particularly favourable rates.
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The Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer e.V. (BDÜ)) is Germany's largest association of professional linguists. With more than 6,000 members, the BDÜ represents 75% of all professionally organized translators and interpreters in Germany. It is also a useful point of contact for trade and industry, and for political, educational and training institutions. For example, experienced members of the Association act as expert assessors of translations or as advisers in the development of new professional training programmes.
Membership of the BDÜ is a sure mark of quality: all potential members have to present evidence of their professional qualifications before they can join the Association.
The BDÜ has represented the interests of interpreters and translators – within Germany and internationally – for more than 50 years. The Federal Association of the BDÜ, which has its registered office in Berlin, is the umbrella body representing the 13 Constituent Associations, which work at regional level or specialize in a particular occupational sector (such as the „Verband der Konferenzdolmetscher e.V. (VKD)” within the BDÜ for the field of conference interpreting).
The BDÜ aims:
The BDÜ is actively committed to:
The BDÜ is a member of the Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT), the largest overarching international organization for translators’ associations. It also has membership of various German institutions engaged in pertinent fields of activity: the Bundesverband der Freien Berufe (BFB)(Federal Association of Liberal Professions), the Institut für Sachverständigenwesen (IfS) (Institute for Expert Affairs) and the Zentrale zur Bekämpfung unlauteren Wettbewerbs e.V. (WBZ) (Centre for Combating Unfair Competition).
Translation and interpreting are activities that have been taking place since ancient times and are increasingly in demand nowadays. With growing specialization and economic globalization as well as the continual acceleration of such processes, the demands on professional linguists are becoming ever more complex. The ability to acquire new knowledge within a short space of time, the skilled handling of technical resources, the necessary flexibility and adaptability, and the possession of entrepreneurial know-how are just as essential for these two occupations as the core competences and qualifications provided at the professional training stage.
Here you will find detailed information that gives a basic professional profile and describes the various fields of activity and the ways in which translators and interpreters provide their services. You will learn the fundamental distinction between the two professions, and also which universities and private institutions offer training courses, and where you can take an official qualifying examination (“state examination”).
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the offices of our Constituent Associations or our Federal Head Office .
A translator has an excellent knowledge of two or more languages and will usually have a university degree or equivalent qualification in translation studies and/or many years of professional experience as a translator. Most translators specialize in particular subject areas. They have in-depth knowledge in these areas and produce translations of specialized texts in a form that is factually correct, stylistically sure-footed, and suitable for the target group concerned.
Translators may also engage in other fields of activity. In addition to producing translations, they are able to offer services such as:
What tools do translators use?
| Specialist translators | A specialist translator usually focuses on a particular subject field or range of fields. He/she therefore produces translations of highly specialized texts from these fields, such as operating instructions for equipment, business reports, annual financial reports, advertising brochures, patents, and scientific articles for professional journals. Their well-founded knowledge and expertise enable specialist translators to familiarize themselves with new subject areas within a very short time. |
| Translators of official documents | Translators of official documents produce certified translations. This means that the translator concerned certifies that the translation he/she has produced is correct and complete. Requirements for certified translations arise, for example, if judicial documentation or certificates of personal or family status have to be submitted to official bodies, or if documents relate to international legal transactions. Translators of official documents are publicly appointed or otherwise authorized (e.g. by swearing an oath) in accordance with the statutory regulations of the Federal state concerned. |
| Software localizers | Software localizers adapt user manuals, online help resources, menus and on‑screen user interfaces of computer programs to the language of the geographical area concerned. They make use of localization tools to assist their work. |
| Conference translators | Conference translators are generally employed by large international organizations to work at conference locations, where they translate working documents such as speeches/presentations, contributions to discussions, and resolutions that have to be available in writing before the end of the event. They work under very strenuous conditions, because their translations cover specialized topics and have to be ready for final approval and publication within an extremely short time. |
| Literary translators | Literary translators produce translations of works of fiction, and also of non-fiction and specialist works. As a rule they work on a freelance basis and are commissioned by publishing houses. As works of literature are linguistic works of art, the aesthetic aspects are of far greater importance than with texts for mundane purposes. The task of translating literary works is stylistically very demanding: it requires the translator to be highly sensitive to the linguistic structure and composition of the original text. |
Graduate interpreters are professional linguists who have successfully attended courses of study at universities or comparable educational institutions to learn the techniques for the simultaneous or consecutive interpreting of speeches, addresses, discussions and negotiations. Interpreters have an excellent command of the languages in which they work, are familiar with several specialist fields, and prepare thoroughly for dealing with the subject matter of their assignments.
Interpreters are primarily engaged for international negotiations and conferences. It is therefore essential that they have the pertinent qualifications, which are duly verified by the BDÜ prior to their admission to membership and their inclusion in the online Membership Databank. A further category of interpreters are the court interpreters, whose membership of the Association is not conditional on graduation from a course of study in interpreting.
You will find further information under the headings of Interpreting Techniques and Interpreting Situations.
| Court interpreters (also known in German as: beeidigte Dolmetscher, vereidigte Dolmetscher, or öffentlich bestellte Dolmetscher) | Interpreters who are publicly appointed or otherwise authorized (e.g. by swearing an oath) in accordance with the statutory regulations of the Federal state concerned, and who are engaged by law courts, notaries, police agencies and other official authorities. |
| Conference interpreters | Interpreters who have full command of all interpreting techniques – simultaneous interpreting, consecutive interpreting, liaison interpreting and whispered interpreting. They may be requested to assist clients as advisers on interpreting facilities for forthcoming events where interpreting is required. |
| Conference interpreters aspiring to full membership status | Conference interpreters admitted as aspirants to full membership of the Verband der Konferenzdolmetscher (VKD) (Association of Conference Interpreters within the BDÜ). |
| In consecutive interpreting, after lengthy portions of the original text have been spoken, the interpreter then provides an oral rendering of that text in another language on the basis of notes he/she has taken during the original by using a special note-taking technique. The number of consecutive interpreters required depends on the degree of difficulty of the subject matter and on the duration of the assignment. | |
| Liaison interpreting | In liaison interpreting (a special form of consecutive interpreting) relatively short passages of text are interpreted into another language after they have been spoken. |
| In simultaneous interpreting, spoken words are interpreted into another language at almost the same time as they are spoken. This requires an extremely high level of attention and concentration. A simultaneous interpreting assignment therefore requires the presence of at least 2 duly qualified interpreters, working in a suitable soundproof booth, alternating with one another and providing mutual support. | |
| Whispered interpreting is a special form of simultaneous interpreting that is suitable only in particular situations. The interpreter stands behind (or next to) the person requiring this service and whispers the interpreted version of the spoken text to him/her. As with simultaneous interpreting, whispered interpreting has to be performed by at least 2 fully qualified conference interpreters: for reasons of acoustics and in the interests of other persons present, this service can only be provided for one listener (or at most for two). |
| Interpreting for television | |
| Whispered interpreting (Chuchotage) | see under Interpreting Techniques |
| Court interpreting | The interpreting takes place in court (in preliminary proceedings, main proceedings and discussions). In principle, any interpreting technique could be used for this, but court interpreters generally provide whispered interpreting or consecutive interpreting. |
| Conference interpreting (generic term) | The use of one or several of the four basic interpreting techniques at a conference:
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| Consecutive interpreting | see under Interpreting Techniques |
| The interpreting assignment is commissioned by a media outlet (e.g. a TV firm or radio company). The technique of simultaneous interpreting is generally used in such situations. | |
| Public service interpreting (also known as community interpreting) | Interpreting assignments of this kind are usually performed for individual persons at public institutions in the broadest sense of the term (such as hospitals, medical practices or official agencies). In view of the need for quality assurance and the liability deriving from the German Civil Code (BGB), this service has to be performed by appropriately trained specialists with particular knowledge of the field concerned. The first full-time training and study courses for this have been established at institutions that are acknowledged providers of specialized training for interpreters and translators. |
| Relay interpreting | Where more than two languages are being used at a conference, situations can occur in which the language being spoken at any given moment cannot be interpreted directly into one of the target languages. In this event the interpreter for the language concerned can switch to a relayed channel on which he/she hears the simultaneously interpreted version being provided from one of the other booths: he/she can then immediately interpret onwards from this. In Germany the channel carrying the German version is generally the one chosen to be relayed. For example, during a meeting of a European works council the words uttered by a Portuguese speaker are interpreted into German by the interpreter in the "Portuguese booth". This German version is relayed to the interpreters in the other booths (providing English, French, Spanish, Swedish), who then interpret it into the respective target languages. |
| Simultaneous interpreting | see under Interpreting Techniques |
| Interpreting at negotiations | Depending on the situation, the listeners' abilities, the number of languages involved and the complexity of the discussions, any appropriate interpreting techniques may be used. |
| Interpreting at lectures or presentations | Where the interpreting of lectures or presentations involves only two languages, this can be accomplished by means of consecutive interpreting, but simultaneous interpreting has to be performed in situations involving more than two languages. |