HESS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, INC.
Providing German-English translation expertise to law firms and businesses in the United States and Europe
About
Experience
For 25 years and almost 5,000 translation projects, international law firms and companies have relied on my services for German-English legal translations.
Thanks to my extensive experience, I have developed deep translation expertise in virtually all areas of law. Whatever legal document you may need to have translated, chances are that I have translated that type of document before, in most cases many times over.
My clients include German offices of several prominent international law firms, as well as German legal departments of various international corporations.
Background
Thanks to my unique background, I have both the language skills and legal know-how to satisfy the translation demands of even the most discriminating clients.
I grew up and attended school in Frankfurt, Germany. After graduating from high school (Lessing Gymnasium), I attended law school at the University of Freiburg for one year.
After moving to the U.S. in 1985, I earned my BA from Occidental College in 1988, my JD from Loyola Law School in 1991, and my MA in philosophy from the University of Southern California in 2000.
From 1991 to 1994, I worked as a litigation associate for Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, one of the top law firms in downtown Los Angeles. My practice was focused on IP law, antitrust law, and general business law.
The Difference
All translations are prepared by me personally. This is the only way to guarantee top-notch and consistent quality.
When it comes to quality, I set the bar higher than the rest: Thanks to my legal background, I can offer translations that read as if they had been drafted by a legal professional in the target language.
Thanks to the 9-hour time difference between California and Central Europe, I am often able to offer an overnight turnaround for urgent translations.
Services
Areas of expertise:
My services are geared specifically towards the needs of law firms with an international clientele and multinational corporations based in Germany or other German-speaking countries. I offer translation expertise in a broad range of practice areas, including the following:
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Securities law
- Banking and finance
- Real estate law
- Intellectual property law
- Antitrust and unfair competition law
- Insolvency law
- Employment law
- Tax law
- Litigation
Types of Services
Translation: The principal service I offer is the translation of legal documents from the German into the English language, and vice versa.
Editing: I also provide editing services, for example if a client needs to incorporate changes to a source text into an existing translation (markup).
Certificates of accuracy: I provide certificates of accuracy for translations upon request. Over the years, my certificate of accuracy has been accepted by numerous courts, both in Germany and the U.S.
Rates and Payment
Per word rates
Standard: U.S. $0.25
Rush: U.S. $0.30
Hourly rates
Standard: U.S. $125.00
Rush: U.S. $150.00
Minimum charge U.S. $100.00
Certificate of accuracy: U.S. $75.00
Prices for English translations are based on the word count of the English translation. Prices for German translations are based on the word count of the English source document.
Payment
Invoices are payable in U.S. dollars to my U.S. dollar account at Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, Germany.
Turnaround Time and Time Difference
Turnaround
I am generally able to turn around between 3,000 and 6,000 words (about 10-20 pages) per day, depending on the level of difficulty. I generally commit to a particular delivery date only after I have had an opportunity to review the German source text. I therefore suggest that clients submit projects by e-mail and request a delivery date. I will then immediately confirm the requested delivery date or, if necessary, propose an alternative date.
Time Difference
The 9-hour time difference between Western Europe and California provides two unique advantages:
1) I am often able to provide an overnight turnaround. This has proven invaluable for clients who need translations to be available the next day ‒ in the morning!
2) I am able to respond to translation inquiries after the close of business in the Central European time zone.
Clients
Accenture AG, Eschborn
Aareal Bank AG, Wiesbaden
Drooms AG, Frankfurt
FPS Fritze Wicke Seelig, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf
Freshfields, Munich
McDermott Will & Emery, Frankfurt
Milbank, Munich
Paul Hastings, Frankfurt
White & Case, Frankfurt
Contact
To receive a quote for a translation, please submit the source text by email to translations@robertohess.com.
If the source text is not available yet or cannot be disclosed for confidentiality reasons, please email me the word count (not the page count!) of the document.
You can also reach me by telephone at +(818) 242-0090.
Thanks to the 9-hour time difference, I am also reachable after the close of business in Europe, when my day is just getting started.
