Germanology Unlocked
Unlock the stories of your family’s past with German-English translations, courses, books, and more!
Uncover the Stories of Your Ancestors
Choose the option to best help you on your genealogy journey:
Translations
Discover your family’s story through our high-quality German to English genealogical translations (German handwriting included).
Courses
Empower yourself on your German genealogy journey by taking our interactive German handwriting and language classes.
Webinars
Watch a free webinar to learn more about German genealogy, or book a topic-specific webinar for your own genealogy society.
Membership
Subscribe and receive extra help on your German genealogical documents during our weekly “Ask-the-Translator” Hour.
Meet Katherine
With more than a decade of experience professionally translating German to English, I love helping clients like you discover the fascinating lives of their German ancestors. Deciphering the old handwriting and finding the perfect words to unlock the secrets of your family letters, diaries, and records – as well as teaching you how to do it yourself – is something I truly enjoy.
Born in St. Louis, I earned my Master’s degree in the German language through Bowling Green State University/University of Salzburg. I then spent three additional years in Austria, teaching English and translating German (with a focus on history). In 2014, I moved back to the States with my Austrian husband, and, although we are now in America, German is still the main language spoken in our home. As a German-English genealogy translator and educator, I can happily say I love what I do.
Learn to translate your documents on your own!
Explore German Genealogy Courses, Books, Templates, and More.
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Reading the Old German Handwriting Online Course
$359.00 — or $90.00 / month for 4 months Select options -
BUNDLE DEAL: Reading the Old German Handwriting + German for Genealogists
$796.00 — or $135.00 / month for 6 months Select options
What Clients Are Saying:
Thank you for getting the translation to me. As I expected, they are perfect. You can always tell that the translation is done by a professional.
Katherine’s devotion to her craft shows throughout her website and in her work. She transcribed and translated some mid-1700’s handwritten documents about my ancestors, and deciphered a real puzzle of a word along the way. I feel a kind of fluidity and ease in reading her translations, and her footnotes are unusually informative with insights and explanations while still being concise. Katherine is also very professional in the ‘project management’ aspects of reaching agreement on the wo…
Thank you for these amazing translations! I never dreamed so much additional information was hidden in those records, such as Wendtlandt being an organist, the ringing of the bells (I was a music major and enjoyed those bits of information), and the emergency baptism. These are examples of facts and events that make a family story real – and I know that my husband’s family will be surprised and glad to learn of them. I now realize how much I’m missing when I look at these old records. Ancestry o…
Just got home to find this treat in my inbox. I am thrilled to read the words my [ancestor] Christopher read; that he felt deeply enough to quote. Great job on the translation.
So happy to finally receive a translation!! You don’t know how hard and long I tried to find someone capable. The places named in the letter will be so helpful in my genealogy search.
Katherine transcribed several handwritten German documents dating from the Second World War for me, and it was truly a pleasure to work with her. Thanks to her skill in deciphering the texts, I’ve learned a great deal about my family history, and she was particularly thorough in researching the places and names included in the text. Katherine is professional and resourceful with a great eye for detail – exactly as a good translator should be – and I would not hesitate in recommending her.
I hired Katherine to translate German Script from the 18th & 19th centuries. I wanted to include the translations in a family history document. She responded quickly to my emails and was more than willing to answer the many questions I had both prior to and after the translation. Katherine provided both English and German translations of this very difficult to read script. She included footnotes and historical website links that added greatly to my understanding of some of the terms used in the …
Katherine was instrumental in helping me give my wife—her words—“the best gift she has ever gotten.” For forty years, she has had copies of letters to and from her beloved grandmother and her siblings handwritten in German. Katherine translated the letters beautifully, providing us with both the German and English digital files. She was always responsive in our communications and met challenging time deadlines so that I could give my wife the letters as a Christmas present. Her fees were…
I enthusiastically recommend Katherine for your translation needs! She is professional, courteous, timely, and very pleasant to work with. She responds promptly to emails, and meets the deadlines she establishes for the translations. I had asked her to translate some 1800 era Austrian church records in handwritten script, the quality of which was not always the best. She came through with not only the English translations, but the German transcriptions as well. Her footnotes and additi…
I am stunned what Katherine was able to translate from some civil war-era family letters due to the poor letter quality. I didn’t think it could be done. Katherine dedicates herself to your project like it’s her own family. I am grateful that I found her and her work will have an impact on my family for generations to come.