Translate a safety data sheet PDF into German

What German changes on an SDS

In German, a safety data sheet becomes a Sicherheitsdatenblatt (SDB). Under REACH, it must be supplied in an official language of the country where the product is placed on the market, which means German for Germany and Austria. The structure stays the same: 16 sections in a fixed order with set headings, such as ABSCHNITT 1: Bezeichnung des Stoffs bzw. des Gemischs und des Unternehmens. What affects the page is the language itself:

• Very long compounds. "Auto-ignition temperature" becomes Selbstentzündungstemperatur, one unbroken word. In a narrow column in section 9, this is where text overflows.
• Longer text overall. German typically runs 20 to 35% longer than English, and table headings grow the most.
• Every noun capitalised: Schutzhandschuhe tragen, never schutzhandschuhe.
• Impersonal register. Instructions use the infinitive: BEI BERÜHRUNG MIT DER HAUT: Mit viel Wasser waschen. Formal Sie appears only where the reader is addressed directly.
• Decimal comma and dates: a flash point of 23.5 °C becomes 23,5 °C; a revision date reads 12.03.2024.

H and P statements and signal words: official wording

Part of an SDS cannot be translated freely. Hazard statements (H), precautionary statements (P) and signal words have official wording in every EU language, set by the CLP Regulation. In German:

• Danger → Gefahr; Warning → Achtung.
• H225 → Flüssigkeit und Dampf leicht entzündbar.
• H319 → Verursacht schwere Augenreizung.
• P280 → Schutzhandschuhe/Schutzkleidung/Augenschutz/Gesichtsschutz tragen.

A translation that is accurate but differs from the official text is not acceptable on a regulatory sheet. After delivery, compare every H and P statement with the German text of the CLP Regulation; it is the most valuable check in the whole review. Codes themselves (H225, CAS and EC numbers, UN number) stay unchanged.

A German peculiarity: section 15 often carries national data such as the water hazard class (Wassergefährdungsklasse, WGK) or the storage class (Lagerklasse). A translation renders what is in your sheet; it does not add this information if the source sheet lacks it.

What Manuce delivers, and what it does not do

The sheet goes to Curie, the scientific and medical specialist. The PDF is read block by block, with each block's position, font, size and colour. You receive:

• the original PDF, with the source text removed and the German set in the same box, in the original font or an equivalent; hazard pictograms, logos and backgrounds stay in place. Where German runs longer, as it often does in the tables of sections 9 and 14, the text size is reduced until it fits;
• an editable Word version, to rework a cramped cell or complete section 15;
• a formatted PDF and plain text, handy for loading into SDS management software.

Limits worth knowing: a scanned PDF with no selectable text is not read. Manuce does not produce sworn or certified translations and does not check regulatory compliance: classification, exposure limits and responsibility for the content remain the supplier's. For a sheet sent to customers, the Professional or Premium levels fit best. A sheet of around 4,500 words (12 pages) counts as a standard document and is delivered within minutes.

Preparing the file and reviewing the German

1. Check that the text can be selected in the PDF. If not, export the sheet again from its authoring software rather than using a scanned copy.
2. Read the free sample before paying: infinitive instructions, capitalised nouns, product trade name kept as is.
3. Review the section 9 tables: Zersetzungstemperatur or Verdampfungsgeschwindigkeit in a narrow column means reduced text; if it becomes unreadable in print, fix it in the Word version.
4. Check the figures: decimal commas, units (mg/m³, hPa), ranges such as 6,5–7,5 for pH.
5. Compare H and P statements and the signal word with the official German text, then update the revision date (Überarbeitet am) and version number.

In practice

1. Check that your SDS text is selectable, then upload the PDF for an exact word-count quote.
2. Read the free sample translated into German by Curie.
3. Pay and receive the re-laid PDF, a Word version, a formatted PDF and plain text.
4. Review the H and P statements, the section 9 tables and all numerical values.