I also translate the following sorts of marketing, communications and public relations documents:
- Advertising copy, leaflets and flyers
- Newsletters, Websites
- Press releases
- Journal articles
You will find more information about the other language services I offer under
Proofreading/Editing, Copywriting and German Classes for Medical Professionals.
You will find more information here (German only):
LET’S TRY TO AVOID THIS…
In many ways, the field of medicine is characterised by a certain idealistic perfectionism. It is not uncommon to see decades of dedicated research devoted to improving the quality of life of a population or even one individual. This makes it even more disappointing when limited personal and financial resources turn the job of publication and persuasion into an afterthought, as was the case with this flyer, which was distributed by the hundreds at an international trade show:
| Incorrectly declined. The correct ending would be Kostenlose Mitgliedschaft! |
Incomplete infinitive construct, non-idiomatic. Would be better to write Bewerben Sie sich auf www.mzjq.com or Klicken Sie auf www.mzjq.com, um sich zu bewerben.
Non-idiomatic, incorrectly declined. The correct ending would be (Hochwertige) Fortbildungen. Weltklasse sounds a bit exaggerated, bragging and dubious to German readers.
| That’s really awkward! Indeed, there is the German word Kadaver, but it means carcass and is never used for human bodies. If someone does so, however, it is extremely disparaging. To make things even worse, Kadaver is here accompanied by the words interaktiv and Workshops which are never used in a context with human bodies. To Germans, the whole phrase sounds completely inept, absurd, impious and like black humour. As a result, it rather deters the target group, creating a very dubious impression. The correct German term is Präparationskurse. |
Wrong collocation. Germans collaborate with enemies only, thus being regarded as traitor to the nation. As a consequence, in this context, Netzwerk von Spezialisten is associated with espionage, intelligence services or the Second World War, but not with colleagues in a medical profession. Another, more appropriate wording would be Netzwerken – Vernetzen Sie sich mit angesehenen Experten.
Typing error: There is a redundant dollar sign.
Publikation is quite unspecific. Fachzeitschrift or Mitgliederzeitschrift would be a good alternative (meaning specialist journal, professional journal or member magazine).
Typing and spelling error. A more correct phrase would be Machen Sie mit, albeit Mitmachen or Ausstellungen would be stilistically more convincing.
Grammatical error, non-idiomatic, stilistically wrong. A correct alternative would be Nehmen Sie an unserer jährlichen Konferenz teil und besuchen Sie uns auf Messen und Ausstellungen.
Incorrect Flyer
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You can reach me Mondays to Fridays between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm CET on my mobile (+49 151 546 74341) or via email at info@sprache-medizin.de.