Translation

Kaleidoscope Language Services offers linguistic expertise to handle German and English documents of all sizes in most subject areas, including:

Legal translation including affidavits, contracts, court decisions, wills and testaments, divorce agreements
Medical records, doctor's notes, surgery reports
Financial documents, income tax refunds for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Technical documentation, user manuals, maintenance instructions
Business documents, marketing materials, brochures, newsletters
Certificates and academic credentials for an Educational credential assessment (ECA)
Driver licenses and driving records, vehicle insurance documents, and vehicle registration papers for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC)
Documents for submission to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Personal matters

A Kaleidoscope translation is true to the original in style, tone, and message. All translations include editing, proofreading, and basic page layout. Translations can be transmitted electronically, if accepted by the intended recipient, or by mail or courier.

Ulrike is a Certified Member in Good Standing of the Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia (STIBC) and she abides by STIBC's professional Code of Ethics in terms of accuracy, confidentiality, and impartiality. More information can be found at www.stibc.org.

She is registered with ICBC.

Ulrike's certified German to English translations are accepted by all courts and government bodies in Canada.

Request a quote

Interpretation

Being fully bi-lingual, Ulrike is available to accompany German-speaking visitors or new immigrants with no or limited knowledge of English to any number of occasions:

health care
hospitals
social services
ICBC
police
law firms
immigration

Please note that Ulrike is not a certified court interpreter and can only assist you in meetings with a lawyer, not in court.

Schedule a call

Editing

Getting your texts ready for publication in print or on the Internet is Ulrike's expertise. She is a master of organization and detail, can see things you might have missed and make sure your message is clear and effective.

Editing may include:

Substantive/structural editing: Clarifying or reorganizing a manuscript for content and structure, fact-checking.
Stylistic editing: Clarifying meaning, eliminating jargon, refining the language, and ensuring coherence and flow.
Copy editing: Ensuring correctness, accuracy, consistency and completeness; editing tables, figures, and lists.
Proofreading: Examining material after layout or in final format to correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Ulrike works on different kinds of texts, from letters to corporate reports, from blogs to books. She cuts to the heart of the matter, saving you time and helping you meet your deadline. She can find the right tone, choose the right words and make you look as professional and credible as you are.

Editing services are charged by the hour. Times vary depending on the difficulty of the text and the amount of editing required. Editors Canada offers the following guidelines:

Substantive, structural, or stylistic editing of a difficult text: 1 to 2 pages/hour
Substantive, structural, or stylistic editing of a standard text: 2 to 3 pages/hour
Copy editing a difficult text: 2 to 4 pages/hour
Copy editing a standard text: 4 to 7 pages/hour
Proofreading a difficult text: 4 to 6 pages/hour
Proofreading a standard text: 6 to 9 pages/hour

Standard text: Carefully prepared, 250-325 words per page, text is not technical and has few or no tables, figures, footnotes, endnotes, or reference citations. The manuscript has no bibiliography or a short, well-prepared bibliography.

Difficult text: Manuscript contains many typographical erros, count exceeds 325 words per page, the font is diffult to read, the text is technical or has many tables, figures, footnotes, or endnotes. Reference citations are carelessly prepared, inconsistent, or incomplete.

Submit a sample

Rates

Translation rates range from 23 cents/word for simple documents for personal use not requiring certification, up to 30 cents/word for legally certified documents of medical, technical, or legal nature. Our average rate for most certified translations is 26 cents/word. Short, single-page documents such as birth certificates, diploma etc. incur our minimum charge of $50.

Interpretation services are based on an hourly rate of $60 plus travel ($30/hour) and mileage (45 cents/km).

Editing services are $60/hour, which works out to anywhere between 1 cent/word for basic proofreading of a standard text to 20 cents/word for substantive editing of a difficult text.

Ulrike Spitzer

Ulrike Spitzer is the owner and manager of Kaleidoscope Language Services in Hope, BC.

She is a freelance translator for German, French, and English; certified translator for German to English; and she coordinates large translation projects.

Born and educated in Germany, Ulrike has lived and worked in Paris, France, for three years. In 1996, she immigrated to British Columbia, Canada, and founded Kaleidoscope Language Services in 1997.

She works out of her home-based office in the charming town of Hope, BC, nestled in the Cascade and Coastal Mountains, a two-hour drive from Vancouver or Kamloops.