Services for your success

Welcome to SWD Kreutel, your partner for professional translations and language services. I am a qualified language professional offering translation, proofreading, and editing services in and between German and English, as well as English language teaching for individuals or groups. Degrees from leading German and US universities in this discipline, close familiarity with both cultures, and practical experience make me the perfect choice for your needs.

I started my professional education in 2008, enrolling in Leipzig University's B.A. Translation program from which I graduated in 2011. This program with a focus on technical translation, widely considered one of the most hands‑on degrees in the field, is offered by the university's renowned Institute for Applied Linguistics and Translation (IALT). It heavily emphasizes the functionalist approach to translation, which abandoned the ideal of the most literal translation possible in favor of natural, fluent target texts which fulfill the same purpose in the target language and culture as the source text in the source language. I value this concept very highly and try to follow it as best I can in my work.

Immediately after finishing my studies in Leipzig, I was accepted into Kent State University's M.A. Teaching English as a Second Language program and received a graduate assistantship as an instructor in the university's ESL center. I worked in this position until I graduated in 2013, teaching prospective international students whose proficiency in English was not yet sufficient to enroll in a program. This allowed me to gather both pedagogical knowledge and practical teaching experience during whose two years, while at the same time broadening my cultural understanding and enhancing my related skills. I also took additional courses on the subject of translation, which not only expanded my previous know-how, but also offered new insights and perspectives on translation processes.

Upon returning to Germany in 2013, I started working as an in‑house translator and editor for a multinational business software company in Dresden, Saxony, where I learned a lot about IT & software, telecommunications, medical technology, and marketing, as well as the finance and insurance industries. Along with the engineering knowledge gathered during my studies, this formed the foundation of my specializations as listed on the Services page. At the end of 2016, I left this employer to move to Weissensberg on Lake Constance and enter the world of freelancing.

Take a look around my website to find more information on me and my work, but also on other relevant topics such as German and US culture or translation theory and practice. If you have any questions or are interested in a collaboration, please feel free to contact me through any of the channels available on the Contact page. Should you require services that go beyond the scope of my offer, I would be happy to help you find a match among the colleagues in my professional network.