Book Translation Services

Literary translation is the art of translating books, novels, and other creative works in a way that preserves the story’s emotional depth, voice, and flow. It’s not just about converting words — it’s about capturing the tone, rhythm, and feeling behind them. As a self-published author myself, I understand how vital it is to stay true to the original voice while still allowing room for creativity in the new language. That’s what makes literary translation so unique — and so powerful.

I offer professional translation between English and German, in both directions — English to German and German to English. Whether English is your source or target language, just let me know in advance if you’re using UK or US English, so I can adapt the tone and spelling accordingly.

Pretty much anything! While I specialize in Paranormal and Contemporary Romance — genres I also write myself — I’m an avid reader and love working across all kinds of stories. Whether your book is Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror, or even an autobiography, I’m happy to translate it with care and attention to your voice. Just send me a message and let’s see if we’re a good fit!

I accept payment via PayPal. All prices are listed in euros (€ EUR) and include PayPal fees. Please note that 20% Austrian VAT is added only if you’re located within the EU and don’t have a valid VAT number.

For Book Translation:

• A 50% advance is required before the agreed start date.
• Once payment is received, I’ll begin the translation and schedule editing.
• The final 50% is invoiced after the full process (translation, editing, and proofing) is complete.
• You’ll receive your translated files after the final payment.

For Other Services:
(Proofing, Promo Material Translation, Formatting)

• No advance payment needed.
• You’ll receive a single invoice for the full amount after completion.

If my schedule allows, I’m happy to take on rush translation projects. Just note that this service includes a surcharge for the faster turnaround. Feel free to get in touch to see if I have availability!

The 50% advance is due 7 days before the scheduled start date to reserve your slot. If you decide to cancel 8 days or more before the start date, no worries — just let me know, and I’ll cancel the invoice.

However, once payment has been made, it’s non-refundable, as that spot is reserved for you. If any work (like editing or proofing) has already begun, those services must still be paid in full.

For Book Translation:

• Your manuscript as a Microsoft Word document
• Your book cover
• A link to your published book (if available)
• Any additional material to be translated: blurb, front & back matter, cover text, etc.

For Proofing only:

• The Microsoft Word document provided by your editor.

For Promo Material Translation:

• All text to be translated, sent as a Microsoft Word document.

For Formatting:

• All content you want included — such as images, links, front/back matter, etc.

For Audiobook Proofing:

• The audiobook file (MP3).
• The manuscript as a Microsoft Word document.

Translation agencies are often fast — but speed can come at the cost of quality. Most use neural machine translation (AI) as a base and then have someone quickly review it (if at all). These translators are rarely specialists in book translation or literary translation, which is essential if you want your book to truly resonate — and sell.

I’ve worked with many authors who turned to me after receiving poor-quality translations from agencies. Unfortunately, the issues often become obvious only after early readers leave critical reviews.

As a specialized literary translator and author myself, I bring genre knowledge, publishing experience, and a creative eye to your book. When you work with a freelancer like me, you’re not just hiring a service — you’re building a long-term partnership with someone who cares about your story as much as you do.

I strongly advise against relying on AI for book translation. While tools like neural machine translation have improved a lot, they still lack one key element: a human brain. There are countless subtleties in language that AI simply can’t grasp. Here are just a few examples:

• Subject clarity: The English “you” can be singular or plural, but German makes that distinction. AI often gets it wrong.

• Gender accuracy: English doesn’t mark gender in words like friend, lover, or client — but German does, and AI doesn’t always choose correctly.

• Context sensitivity: A phrase like “What’s on your mind?” could have five different translations depending on tone and situation.

• Stylistic repetition: AI doesn’t recognize overused phrases and won’t swap them for more elegant synonyms.

• Humor and wordplay: Jokes rarely translate directly. A human can rewrite them to fit the new language and audience — AI can’t.

If you care about how your book sounds, feels, and connects with readers in another language, a professional book translator is the only way to go.

For more information, check out my blog post: The Risks of Using AI to Translate Your Book

Yes — as long as your writing follows the general style rules of the target language, I absolutely can. I work with the standard guides: the Chicago Manual of Style (US), Oxford Style Guide (UK), and Duden (DE), depending on your chosen language. These aren’t meant to restrict your creativity — they’re here to make sure your writing is clean, consistent, and professional.

That said, as an author myself, I know that rules can be bent for the sake of voice. For example, most style guides advise against using brackets in fiction — but modern novelists often use them to show inner thoughts. That’s fine, as long as it’s intentional and done well.

What doesn’t work is using style as an excuse to break every rule: dialogue punctuation, endless sentence fragments, repetitive phrasing, etc. If a manuscript ignores the basics entirely, then yes — the voice will get lost in translation, because the foundation isn’t solid.

Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with style guides — most authors aren’t. The best way to internalize them? Read in your genre. A lot. When you read more than you write, you naturally absorb tone, rhythm, and structure — which helps me preserve your voice beautifully in translation.