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:
I can highly recommend the work of Katherine. I used her services to proofread my master thesis and the result greatly benefited from her thorough and detailed checking. Her feedback and comments were very constructive and extremely helpful. Moreover, the work was done timely and she responds to questions quickly. I will definitely use her services again.
SusannaAustrian Master's Degree Student
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…
Mike
Great job. You have unlocked a mystery. The relationship between Ignatz and Mathaus was unclear until now. Thanks.
BudFamily Historian
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.
LynneFamily Historian
I had that hardest of genealogical roadblocks- someone who changed their name illegally and died with their secret. Katherine provided very careful and scholarly transcriptions and translations of some key documents. Mystery solved. My advice: engage a professional like Katherine and don’t guess at the content of Kurrent manuscripts when the result matters to you.
Barry Dent
It was a pleasure working with you Katherine. I appreciated your rapid response to my requests. The German and English versions of all the documents were perfectly formatted down to the tiny letters on the bottom of the pre-printed baptismal certificate which identified the printer. Thank you.
SherryFamily 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
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
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
Her knowledge of the German language, written and oral, is very remarkable and impressive.
Sonja