Translation Services
Katherine Schober and her team at Germanology Unlocked translate your German genealogy documents for you! Experts in the old German handwriting (Kurrentschrift, Sütterlin, Fraktur, and more), Germanology Unlocked will first transcribe your document into typed German and then translate it into an English version you can’t wait to share with your family members. Get your quote today.
Services
- Letters
- Diaries
- Church Records
- Birth-Marriage-Death Vital Records
- Emigration Documents
- Passports
- Newspaper Articles
- Obituaries
- Photos
- Postcards
- Much More!
SCRIPTS WE WORK WITH:
- Kurrent (early 16th century-mid-20th century)
- Sütterlin (a form of Kurrent, early-mid-20th century)
- Fraktur (typeface from 15th century-early 20th century)
- Present-Day German
SAMPLE PAST PROJECTS:
- 17th-century letter of nobility
- 1921 diary
- 1913 marriage certificate
- 1831 emigration document
- 1883 autograph book
- 19th-century church book entry
- 1645 obituary
- 1853 German passport
- 1810 marriage certificate
- 1920’s letters from Germany to America
- 1888-1905 death and marriage certificates
- 1791 document discussing sale of land
- Baptismal, birth and death certificates from 1880s and 1890s
- Letters from World War II
- Marriage document list from World War II, written in Sütterlin
- Poem written in 1773, written in Fraktur (old German typeface)
- 1882 German marriage certificate from a church register
- 1888 letter from a German nephew to his aunt in America
- 19th-century letter from a German immigrant in America to her sister in Germany
- 1920-1922 newspaper translations from German communities in Russia; written in Fraktur
- 1868 letters from a German woman to her sister in America
- Personal letters spanning from 1943 to 1952 from Germany to America
- Employment history booklet from early 19th century

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What Clients Are Saying:
Thank you so much for the translation! Now I have the names of three of my paternal grandfather’s grandparents. This is the “brick wall” I’ve been trying to break through for a long time…many thanks for your prompt and professional work.
CarlaFamily Historian
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 …
D. Miller
Thank you for a great job! I am very impressed that you could read, never mind translate, her writing. Very professional and much appreciated! I will have it bound and send copies to my cousins. I should mention too that the footnotes you provided were very helpful and beyond what I expected.
Chuck
My German in-laws would not say one word about the past, however when they both passed away, we found two huge boxes of letters, journals, and pictures that documented every day of WWII for them. We also found 100 years of old family documents to prove they were Aryan in accordance with the Nuremburg Laws. For the last ten years, we have figured there was one person in the family history who had converted from Judaism and that person had saved those who came after from certain death, but we coul…
Chris K.
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…
SteveFamily Historian
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.
Carol
After my parents passed away, I discovered a letter written to my grandfather in 1930 from a nephew who lived in Germany. (My grandfather had immigrated in the 1890s). Because the letter was handwritten and in German, it was impossible for me to make out many of the letters/words; therefore, I looked for a way to get it translated. When I searched for someone reputable, I came across the website for SK Translations and after debating for a long time about the expenditure, as well as, dealing …
D.S.Family Historian
I highly recommend Katherine to anyone looking for accurate, expeditious, and highly professional translations. Katherine went the extra mile to ensure an accurate translation of my German university records. She even contacted my educational institution in Germany to ensure the proper interpretation of obscure abbreviations throughout the document. Stellar work.
JeanieGraduate School Applicant
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.
YuliaAmerican Historical Society of Germans from Russia
Great job. You have unlocked a mystery. The relationship between Ignatz and Mathaus was unclear until now. Thanks.
BudFamily Historian
Take Your Research to the Next Level.
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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