English  for your business

High-impact English courses, cultural workshops, and English↔German writing services:

Hire professional native speakers on demand to overcome cultural barriers in your global business and make the most of modern language tools.

English Courses

What you get:

Professional English training for your industry
⟡
Cultural workshops with an external assessment
⟡
Bespoke, human-centric learning at any level
⟡
Small groups or 1:1 in-house and remote
⟡
Native educators with strong credentials
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Course material free to use forever

Writing Services

What you get:

Two-way German↔English translation
⟡
Bilingual editing and four-eyes proofreading
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Creative writing, transcreation, and consulting
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Authentic human voiceovers
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Transparent, responsible use of AI tools
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Package deals and tailored solutions

B2B Language Services

Why Do Clients Trust GermanBureau?

Alexander and Heather Bakst are English–German language professionals with decades of experience in education and translation. GermanBureau is the brand name that connects them with like-minded freelancers. When you work with us, you benefit from:

Professional Results

Hire freelancers who work to high professional standards in the English–German language pair. You'll benefit from innovative services, low overhead, and top-notch deliverables tailored to your projects.

Genuine Native Speakers

Collaborate with a network of language experts from all walks of life. Our people include English, German, and bilingual native speakers. As a group of polyglots, we bridge the gap between language and culture for you.

Competitive Rates

Enjoy fair pricing models for all your educational and editorial needs. We're a network, not an intermediary. That means you can cut out the middlemen by taking freelance professionals directly under contract.

Modern Language Skills

Get insights and advice on the best language tools for your project. Technology is changing everything, from the way we speak and write to how we teach or translate. Join us in embracing this progress responsibly!

Business English Coaching

Better Learning Outcomes with Pro Native Speakers

English courses tailored to the practical needs of your learners: Our seminars support your learning journey as a business.

Now your people can improve their language skills with hands-on English training by real native speakers. Our coaches have strong credentials and at least 10 years of experience in adult education. We bring a cross-cultural perspective to your daily business in American and British English.

The GermanBureau founders Alexander and Heather Bakst are your fist point of contact. Thanks to our growing network, you also gain access to a wider pool of language professionals from all walks of life. Work with us to get all-inclusive English courses directly from the front-line source.

Business English for Real People

The best way to master the English language is through regular contact with native speakers in your field.

But not just anyone will do: You want experienced professionals who speak the language of your industry. Our English courses offer a modern, hands-on experience at all levels.

Our freelance network is your direct line to reliable partners in education. Each of us has at least 10 years of experience teaching English at German companies and cooperative universities.

We have the resources to achieve the learning goals of your international staff and leadership roles. All course material and interactive resources are yours to use forever.

Online or in-house, our business English trainers are passionate, experienced educators who deliver on the promise of applied learning for real people.

Business Skills for the Real World

Besides the basics and nuances of English usage, participants in our language courses learn critical soft skills, like how to:
⟡ Make small talk in a professional setting
⟡ Handle international meetings
⟡ Express feedback or polite requests around the world
⟡ Give effective presentations
⟡ Communicate clearly on platforms like Teams or Slack
⟡ Write engaging digital content for social media
⟡ Have fun with a foreign language

Custom Courses

Below are three examples of course configurations and their total price. Please contact us to discuss the scope and schedule according to your needs. We look forward to hearing from you!

€ 900

15 × 60 min.
1 group of ≤ 5
Live Video Coaching
all-inclusive

€ 3,850

12 × ½ day
4 groups of ≤ 10
On-site training
all-inclusive

TBD

1 day
Any group size
Advanced seminar
Custom topic

Business Culture Workshops

Culture as a Success Factor

Internationally successful professionals have a hidden superpower: cultural awareness.

Intercultural skills are an unspoken requirement for career success today. Your company benefits, too, as frictionless communication among international colleagues leads to better business outcomes across the global supply chain.

Heather Bakst has spent the last decade helping teams gain intercultural competencies alongside their English skills. Because GermanBureau is a network, not an agency, you can book your workshop directly with Heather as an independent contractor.

Communication Beyond Language

Our English-language cultural workshops are made for professionals and global leaders at companies like yours.

A self-assessment from the Intercultural Readiness Check (IRC) forms the basis of the workshop. IRC is a high-quality tool developed by Ursula Brinkmann, a PhD psychologist with over 15 years in the field of intercultural management.

At a level of English adapted to each group, participants learn to recognize hidden cultural barriers and overcome them with confidence.

By the end of the workshop, the team is ready to take advantage of its diversity as a multiplier, not a liability.

You're already active in foreign markets? Then you know that language and culture can be an obstacle to getting work done around the world. As your business expands into the global economy, our native consulting is your competitive advantage.

Flexible Formats

At home or at work, online or on-site: Bring the learning experience directly to your teams how and where they need it most. We can adapt the scope and schedule to your needs.

Companies with internationally active employees may choose to combine one-off cultural workshops with regular immersive English courses. Together, language proficiency and cultural awareness are the key to success in global teams.

Your people can work with us toward project-specific goals or improve their general awareness of how language and culture impact their work.

Scheduling Options

Below are three examples of how to schedule a cultural workshop at your company. Contact us to learn more and arrange a format that works for you.

Online

4 × ½ day
Beginner English
Cultural Workshop
incl. assessment

On Site

1½ days
Advanced English
Cultural Workshop
incl. assessment

Custom

You decide
All levels
Cultural Workshop
incl. assessment

Our Team, Your Freelancers

Your Core Team of Freelancers

GermanBureau is a network, not an intermediary. When you work with us, you're dealing directly with the freelance language professionals who do the actual work. You'll find plenty of social proof on our LinkedIn profiles, and our résumés are available on request.

Alexander Bakst

Bilingual Writer & Educator

Alex is a former journalist turned translator, educator, and all-round language consultant. He launched the GermanBureau brand in 2010. Alex lives in Berlin as a US-born expat for life.

Heather Bakst

Business English Coach

Heather delivers corporate seminars and university courses for learners of English as a foreign language. She transplanted from the US to Germany in 2008 and lives happily ever after in Berlin.

Our Partners

Independent Collaborators for Your Project

As the network grows, you gain access to an ever-expanding niche of independent contractors in the language services industry. Below are just a few of our closest collaborators.

Daniel Simmons

EFL Lecturer

Daniel is a veteran lecturer in business English with a rich background in commerce, industry, and academia. He lives near Dresden and maintains close ties to his UK homeland.

Nick Medland

English Teacher

Nick is a British émigré who, like many of us here, has made a life for himself as a business English instructor in Germany. His methods include forays into audio-visual media.

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English↔German Translation

Foreign Language, Native Voice

Hire professional native speakers to translate your English and German content to a high standard.

As your business goes global, authentic writing gets your message across in local markets. Our bilingual native speaker and veteran translator Alexander Bakst is at your service—and his editorial colleagues are waiting in the wings to support your next global project.

Discover editorial services made for companies like yours. From native translation and proofreading to original writing and voiceovers, we can craft your message in English or German.

Translate with Confidence

Your global audience needs to hear your message, but not always in the same words.

Finding the most effective expression for your ideas in a foreign language takes creativity, authenticity, and a meticulous mindset.

Some translations adhere closely to the original wording while others flow more freely. Either way, the hallmark of a good translation is that it doesn’t sound translated.

With the right approach to localization, your voice will stand out in English and German alike. You need a partner who takes the time to understand your requirements. The result is localized content that resonates with your audience.

Entrust your English–German content to passionate linguists and give your project the benefit of a keen eye for detail—four eyes, actually—down to the last comma.

Human or Machine?

Localize your documents to a high standard across English and German cultures. You decide how we translate your content: We’ve got the right translation model and budget for your project.

Expand the headlines below to explore some common workflows in translation today. If you like what you see, you can contact us anytime for a price quote on your project.

AI Translator

Fast, affordable, convenient: There are times when all you need is a simple translation—quick and dirty! This is a job for a human-reviewed AI translator. In industry circles it’s often called machine translation post-editing (MTPE).​

The Workflow

(1) Machine translation: An AI-powered machine translator produces a draft translation of your source text within seconds. There’s a risk that some terminology will get lost in translation.

(2) Human review: A human proofreader checks the results for accuracy in the target language. This ensures an adequate level of quality control, although the monolingual reviewer might still miss some nuances that are only apparent in the source text.

(3) Client feedback: You have a chance to review our final draft. We’ll work in any feedback you give us.

Use Cases

Machine translators today are smart, and the benefits are clear: Get it done lightning-fast while saving yourself the cost of a human translator. This method typically produces acceptable results for general-language content.

But beware: You get what you pay for! Despite all the hype, AI tools cannot match the skill and talent of a professional human translator. If your text is more specialized or quality is a priority, we recommend a translation service on par with our Pro Translator.

Pro Translator

Authentic, accurate, consistent: The gold standard in translation involves an experienced translator, bilingual editing, and professional software. For content that is ready to publish, you can add a four-eyes proofreading cycle into the mix.

The Workflow

(1) Pro translation: A senior translator works with professional software to translate your content. The workflow produces authentic language in a natural voice for your target audience.

(2) Bilingual review: A bilingual editor thoroughly checks the translation against the source text. This step ensures accurate terminology and a consistent writing style in the target language.

(3) Client feedback: Your people review a draft translation that includes detailed editorial comments. We work in your change requests before delivering the final product.

(4) Optional four-eyes proofreading: You have the option to book a four-eyes proofreading cycle. This final step adds a layer of quality control that allows you to immediately publish your new content with confidence.

Use Cases

This is the most effective translation model for most use cases. It ensures a degree of quality and authenticity not found in low-effort agency material. It’s how you stand out in an age of forgettable SEO text and trite AI-recycled content.

Our computer-assisted pro translators are especially good at:

⟡ Adapting your content to local audiences. That includes understanding context, addressing your readers, and adding a human touch.

⟡ Researching specialized content in science, technology, commerce, industry, and creative fields.

⟡ Catching errors or inconsistencies in the source text.

Mix and match

You may decide that none of our packages exactly fit your needs. In that case, we are always open to adapting our services to match your requirements. Contact us to work out the details.

Indie Clients

Are you an independent creator or a fellow freelancer with a passion project? We’ve got special rates for you!

What exactly constitutes an independent project is discretionary, but we generally consider artists, journalists, self-publishers, nonprofits, startups, small businesses, and freelancers to fall under this category. Contact us to explain your situation and we can explore your options.

Translation Rates

Depending on your project, you might be looking for a variety of translation models. Below are three examples of common choices from organizations like yours. For more details, please contact us.

€ 6

100 words
AI translator
Human review

€ 12

100 words
Pro translator
same-eyes review

€ 15

100 words
Pro translator
4-eyes review

Original Content

Native Content in English and German

Want to talk to your customers like a native? We've got you covered.

Hire a professional native speaker from our network to craft your message from scratch or revise existing content. We can produce a variety of written formats in English or German. We can even lend you our native-speaker voices for your next global media project!

This section describes the types of content we can create for you in general terms. For more details, please contact us to discuss your needs directly with the relevant content specialist.

Professional Editing and Proofreading

Imagine this: You've drafted an English text using AI tools, but you have no way of knowing if it's truly ready to publish in the target market.

That's where a native human review comes into play. We offer two types of editing service: basic proofreading and a full revision.

For either service, the format and scope can range anywhere from a single webpage to an entire book.

In basic proofreading, a native monolingual editor checks for errors in the target language: spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other details. This type of editing gives your text a professional polish so you can publish with confidence.

In a full review, a bilingual editor checks your text against the source to ensure nothing gets lost in translation. On top of proofreading, the review covers aspects such as clarity, consistency, and style.

In the process, we can help you develop editorial guidelines for the target language if they don’t already exist.

A Global Voice(over) for Your Business

Here's another scenario: You've experimented with AI-generated audio for your video projects, but local audiences are giving mixed feedback.

Now you can commission all-human voiceovers for your media projects in English and German. Our freelance network of voice talent offers cost-effective solutions to localize your audio for international listeners.

Maybe you're looking for a female speaker of British English to narrate your creative project. Or perhaps you want a male speaker of American English to voice over a series of training videos. Whatever the need, you can contact us to see if we have the voice for you.

Achieve high production value at low cost with professional equipment in a home studio.

These days, you don’t need to book a whole studio to produce high-quality audio—but you do need some expertise to give your listeners that warm, up-close-and-personal studio sound. When you hire us, we bring our own kit: professional audio equipment and digital tools in a simple but effective home studio.

Pricing Guidelines

Below are three examples of our pricing for different editorial services. Reach out anytime to discuss the details according to your needs. We're happy to provide references and samples on request.

€ 5

100 words
Full review
Bilingual editor

€ 20

100 words
Original content
4-eyes review

TBD

1 min. of audio
Human voiceover
Native talent

Our Clients

Join the Portfolio of Happy Clients

“Mr. Bakst [...] is not only a total professional in teaching English but also a young and up-to-date type of lecturer. Due to his modern teaching techniques, lessons with him were always interesting and fun. I would recommend Mr. Bakst anytime!”
“Sehr zu empfehlen. Von Projektanbahnung bis zur finalen Übermittlung: alles sehr professionell und jederzeit herzlich. Die Zusammenarbeit war astrein. Sobald wir wieder ein Übersetzungsprojekt haben, komme ich sehr gerne auf Dich zurück.”
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Contact

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