Presentation translations
Your challenge. Our specialty.
Presentation translations that wow your audience
Convince your audience - locally and abroad.
Let’s not fool ourselves: A presentation, especially one in front of decision-makers, can make even the most experienced speaker sweat. On top of that, it has to be held in English more and more often. Because employees, committees and boards have become more international, as have investors and suppliers – and scientific research anyway.
Even non-native speakers who got top marks at school often find themselves on thin ice when it comes to English phrases, humour or the cool sentence at the end of the presentation with which he or she actually wanted to win over the audience.
A professional translation of a presentation into English, for example, has two major advantages for you. Firstly, it gives you the certainty that all parts of your presentation are linguistically accurate. Your audience will understand you and will not be distracted from the presentation by having to interpret what is said.
Secondly, you save time because our translation agency will translate your file, whatever the format. This allows you to concentrate on preparing and rehearsing the presentations instead of wasting time on tedious copy & paste or reformatting individual lines.
The benefits of professional translation
- Native speakers with a feel for your audience
- Proper localisation of examples, metrics, etc.
- Creating files with all parts translated
- Google Slides, Keynote, PowerPoint, and others
- Minimum costs for revisions
Why less is more when presenting in English
Clarity in word, writing and image.
A peculiarity of many English-speaking countries is their penchant for snappy slogans that often cannot be translated literally. A specialist translator can find solutions that capture the basic idea and are still enthusiastically received by the audience. This is important when translating the presentation file, but also beneficial for the script as a whole. In addition, the nominal style, which is quite common and accepted in Germany, for example, is less common in other countries. It often sounds bumpy to an English-speaking audience. Shorter sentences and more adjectives and verbs bring life to your presentation. A native-speaker translator will understand when your text should be adjusted accordingly. We would be happy to advise you in this regard.
Recommendation #1
for a successful presentation
Tell a story.
Especially presentations in the English-speaking world are usually quite relaxed in style. People like to wrap the core content in a story that makes the speaker more approachable and the content more relevant personally. Don’t just focus on the facts. Work especially on your greeting and introduction. Here is a good example of how to use a personal anecdote as an introduction.
Have your presentation and script translated
Confidence and safety all the way.
If you include a lot of text in your PowerPoint presentations, you can easily bore your audience, especially online. All too often, what is said then corresponds almost word for word with the slides. This is certainly not the way to get the audience’s attention. The slides should support what is said, not simply repeat it. That is why we recommended above that you limit your business presentation to the most important points and structure them clearly.
The problem: Now you are helping your audience, but less text may also increase the nervousness of the non-native speaker – and thus the likelihood that you will slip up. In such cases, a script that spells out the presentation is helpful and advisable.
A script clearly structures your presentation. It allows you to restart at any time during the presentation if you lose your train of thought. And that brilliant formulation that succinctly gets to the point? It’s there, in black and white, no matter how complicated the topic. That tames the nervousness and therefore brings with it a higher probability that everything will run smoothly.
Besides, it is becoming more and more common, both in the business world and in academia, to make lectures available as downloads – usually after the talk. Plus, occasionally someone asks for the script who liked the presentation or missed it. It is therefore always an advantage to have an English version of the presentation at hand.
Recommendation #2
for a successful presentation
Read off as little as possible.
There are relatively few people who can read off a script while captivating the audience. Presentation experts like TED director Chris Anderson therefore recommend memorising the presentation and reciting it until it sounds natural. Other experts, such as Deborah Grayson, who teaches executive communication at the renowned Wharton Business School and at Columbia University, rather recommend focusing on the first and last three sentences as well as on a few key passages. For non-native speakers, however, we definitely recommend memorising entire passages of the presentations, be it in English or any other language one is not perfectly fluent in. “Just in case…”
Presentation translations into English: An advantage
Communicate better. Increase your reach.
Presentations in English are standard today. This is precisely why expectations are high, among employees, superiors, and also business partners. The best way to meet these expectations is to have your script translated by a professional specialist translator.
If you happen to understand a little German and feel a little nervous before your next presentation, we recommend this informative interview with language trainer Britta Wenske in Manager Magazin: “Präsentieren ohne Panik” (“Presenting without panicking”). Good luck!
Your free quote
It costs nothing to ask. Not asking does.
Do you have a presentation coming up? Do you have questions or are you not quite sure whether the presentation still needs some fine-tuning? Our project managers will be happy to review your material and look after your project until the big day. The presentation is already due in the next few days? Express translations are also possible.
FAQ
Presentations in English
How much text should there be on a PowerPoint slide?
The 5x5 rule states that a slide should not list more than five points. These should each be described with a maximum of five words. Of course, this is only a rule of thumb. Even if you violate it occasionally, the presentation can still be clear and effective. For large, highly visible projections and in front of smaller audiences, an extension of the rule is possible: 6x6 or 7x7.
How do I give a good presentation?
1. Tell a story, don't just present facts.
2. Limit yourself to the essentials and focus on a core problem or topic.
3. Use examples. Usually one example per topic is enough to illustrate.
4. Do not read off. If the presentation is important, memorise the most important passages and rehearse them until they sound natural. This will also help you to make eye contact with the audience.
5. Moderate your pace. Most people talk too fast and move too much.
6. Adjust slide content, font size, etc. to the space. If possible, familiarise yourself with it before the presentation.
How do I prepare for an English presentation?
1. Write down the entire talk and memorise at least the first and last three sentences as well as some key phrases.
2. Prepare yourself for mistakes. Have a few phrases ready that are appropriate when mistakes are made: 'Let me rephrase that.'
3. Be prepared for questions and interruptions: 'I'm going to address that issue at the end of my talk. Is it ok if we discuss it more then?'
4. Talk slowly and in simple sentences.