Translate a specification document into German

Lastenheft or Pflichtenheft: getting the document type right

German draws a line that English and French usually blur, and a German engineer or buyer will notice it straight away.

• Lastenheft: what the customer requires, written by the client (der Auftraggeber). A user requirements specification or a statement of requirements sent to suppliers is a Lastenheft.
• Pflichtenheft: the supplier’s response (der Auftragnehmer), describing how those requirements will be met, close to a functional or technical design specification.

The cover page title and every internal cross-reference (“see Specification, section 4.2”) should use the same term throughout. The English word “specification” does not say which one is meant, so check this first in the delivered translation.

What German changes in a specification

The engineering content stays the same; the drafting conventions shift.

• Levels of obligation. German specifications use muss for a mandatory requirement, soll for an expected but negotiable one, and kann for an option. “The system shall operate between −20 and +50 °C” becomes Das System muss zwischen −20 und +50 °C funktionieren. Translating “shall” as soll is a classic error that quietly downgrades the requirement.
• Compound nouns. “Support response time” becomes Support-Reaktionszeit, “acceptance test report” Abnahmeprotokoll. These long words widen requirement matrix columns and cause extra line breaks.
• Length. German text is often 20 to 35% longer than English, so a table that fitted on one page may spill onto the next.
• Capitals and register. Every noun is capitalised (die Schnittstelle, die Abnahme). Where the document addresses bidders directly, the formal Sie is expected.
• Numbers and dates. German uses a decimal comma (12,5 mm), a full stop or space for thousands (1.250) and dates written 31.03.2026. Quotation marks become „ “.
• Standards. References such as BS EN ISO 9001 often have a DIN EN ISO counterpart: the number stays, the national prefix may change depending on what you intend.

What Manuce delivers, and what it does not

Your specification is handled by Dédale, Manuce’s technical specialist, which works with the vocabulary of requirements, interfaces, testing and acceptance. A document of around 6,000 words (about 20 pages) is delivered within minutes and kept in your client area.

• Accepted formats: Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, plain text, Markdown, HTML, RTF and CSV. A requirements matrix in Excel comes back as Excel, a Word specification comes back as Word, layout included.
• German is charged at the base rate (coefficient ×1). If the same document is also going into French or Italian, the multi-language discount applies to the whole order from two languages.

What Manuce does not do:

• A scanned PDF (an image with no selectable text) cannot be read. Supply the source file or a PDF exported from your word processor.
• Manuce does not produce sworn or certified translations. If a public buyer or court requires one signed by an accredited translator, you will need to commission it separately.
• Manuce does not take glossaries or term lists. For a product name or acronym that must stay unchanged, check the free sample and then the full translation.

Preparing the file and checking the German version

Before uploading:

• Send the native file rather than a PDF if you have it: tables widened by German are much easier to adjust.
• Leave room in the “Requirement” and “Acceptance criterion” columns, or switch them to automatic text wrap.
• Keep requirement IDs language-neutral (FR-012, REQ-4.3): they need no translation and let you compare both versions line by line.

After delivery:

• Scan the modal verbs: each “shall” or “must” should be muss, each “should” soll, each “may” kann.
• Check that Auftraggeber and Auftragnehmer are never swapped, especially in acceptance and penalty clauses.
• Update tables of contents, section cross-references and any pages where a table has shifted.
• Ask your German contact to review sector-specific terms, if your field has any.

For a specification sent out to tender or straight to a supplier, the Professional level is the right fit; Essential is enough to understand a German specification you have received.

In practice

1. Export your specification as Word, Excel or a text-based PDF (not a scan).
2. Upload it, choose German and a level: the quote appears based on the exact word count.
3. Read the free sample and check the title (Lastenheft or Pflichtenheft) and the muss/soll wording.
4. Pay, then download the translated file in its original format a few minutes later.
5. Resize any widened columns and review the acceptance clauses.