Translate Terms and Conditions of Sale into German

What changes when your terms become German AGB

Even the heading changes: a German reader looks for Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen (AGB), not a literal rendering of "terms and conditions of sale". That is the link name shoppers expect in the footer of an online shop.

• Register: AGB address the customer as Sie, always capitalised (Ihre Bestellung, Sie erhalten). Some consumer brands use du, but whichever you choose must be consistent throughout.
• Capitals: every noun is capitalised (die Ware, der Kaufpreis, die Lieferung). A lower-case noun in a clause looks careless to a German reader.
• Compound words: "retention of title clause" becomes Eigentumsvorbehaltsklausel. In a contents list or a narrow table column such words will not break on their own and may overflow. German text typically runs 20 to 35% longer than English.
• Numbers and dates: German writes 1.250,00 € (full stop for thousands, comma for decimals) and 31.12.2025. Quotation marks look like „Ware“.
• Cross-references: where your terms say "clause 7", German AGB often use § 7 or Ziffer 7. Internal references such as "see clause 4.2" must still point to the right place.

Legal terms where a slip changes the meaning

Several standard notions in terms of sale have a precise German equivalent, and a near-synonym can alter the scope of a clause:

• Statutory warranty → gesetzliche Gewährleistung, not to be confused with Garantie, which means a voluntary commercial guarantee.
• Right of withdrawal (consumer cancellation right) → Widerrufsrecht; the mandatory consumer notice is the Widerrufsbelehrung, often with a model form (Muster-Widerrufsformular).
• Retention of title → Eigentumsvorbehalt.
• Late-payment interest → Verzugszinsen; "formal reminder" → Mahnung.
• Jurisdiction clause → Gerichtsstandvereinbarung; "governing law" → anwendbares Recht.
• Force majeure → höhere Gewalt.

In Germany, standard business terms are regulated by the Civil Code (BGB, sections 305 onwards): a clause considered surprising or unfairly one-sided has no effect. A faithful translation of terms drafted under English, French or any other law will carry those clauses over as written; only a lawyer can say whether they hold up under German law.

What Manuce returns, and what it does not do

Your terms are translated by Thémis, the engine specialised in legal texts and contractual vocabulary. You upload a Word, PDF, RTF, HTML, Markdown or plain-text file and get the same format back: clause numbering, bold text, lists and tables stay in place. For a typical document of around 3,000 words (8 pages), the translation is delivered within minutes and kept in your client area. German is charged at the base rate, with no language coefficient.

Before paying, you receive a free extract: one paragraph of your file translated at the level you chose. Pick a dense paragraph, such as the warranty or withdrawal clause, to judge the terminology.

What Manuce does not do:

• it does not produce sworn or certified translations (beglaubigte Übersetzung); if a court or authority requires one, you need a sworn translator;
• it does not adapt your clauses to German, Austrian or Swiss law: it translates what is written;
• it cannot read a scanned PDF (an image with no selectable text).

Preparing the file and checking the German version

Before uploading:

• Send the source Word file rather than an exported PDF where possible: the layout reflows more cleanly when the text grows.
• Make sure any PDF contains selectable text; if not, go back to the original document.
• Leave room: a short heading such as "Delivery" may become Lieferbedingungen. If headings sit in a narrow table, switch on automatic hyphenation in your word processor.

When the file comes back, check:

• that the register is consistent (Sie throughout, or du throughout);
• clause numbering and cross-references;
• amounts, time limits and dates in German format;
• brand and company names that must stay unchanged: check them in the free extract, then in the full translation;
• if you sell in Switzerland, local usage writes ss instead of ß (Strasse, not Straße);
• finally, review by a German-speaking lawyer before publication, especially the Widerrufsbelehrung.

In practice

1. Upload your terms as a Word file or text-based PDF: the quote appears at once, based on the exact word count.
2. Choose a level; for AGB published on your website, Professional or Premium is the sensible choice.
3. Read the free extract and check key terms: Gewährleistung, Widerrufsrecht, Eigentumsvorbehalt.
4. Pay, then download the German file within minutes, in its original format.
5. Have the German version reviewed by a lawyer before putting it online.