Germany / Deutschland » Language, Names, Handwriting & Script

My Ancestors and Me - Helps for Translating That Old German Handwriting

Namen-Forum

A forum about German surnames and onimastics (in German only).

Old German Script – Translation Service & Ancestry Research

Translations of handwritten documents, letters, manuscripts, civil and church records in the Old German Scripts by Annette Huebner in Kritzmow, Germany.

Omniglot - German language, alphabets and pronunciation

Paleografie Engels Duits Nederlands (Facebook)

Transcriptions of old and new handwritten documents. Transkribierung von alte und neue handgeschriebene Dokumenten. Transcriptie van oude en nieuwe handgeschreven documenten.

PONS - The free dictionary for foreign languages, German spelling and full-text translations

Here, users can consult some 12 million words and phrases in the languages English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian, Slovenian, Turkish, Portuguese, Greek and Latin. In addition to 30 bilingual online dictionaries PONS provides

Rita Dachner - Deciphering old German documents

Six Need-to-Know 'Letter Swaps' When Deciphering Your German Documents - Germanology Unlocked

"Why do you write your letters like that?" is a phrase that most of us have heard at some point in our lives. Just as each of us write our ABCs slightly differently from one another, so too did our ancestors which can make transcribing their German handwriting rather difficult! Luckily, for those of us who work with the old German script on a daily basis, there is a great trick of the trade that helps with the daunting process of deciphering family documents: letter swaps. What is a letter swap, you ask? Well, some letters in the old German script look very similar to one another, and the way one person wrote one letter may be the way another person wrote its "swap" equivalent. So if a word isn't making sense with the letter you think, trying replacing it with one of its substitutes, and see if you now have a plausible German word. This article explains the typical swaps in the world of German handwriting.

Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe - Translation Aids

Ten *More* Tips for Deciphering Old German Handwriting - Germanology Unlocked

As a follow-up to Ten Tips for Deciphering Old German Handwriting, this post offers even more details and tips for assisting you in transcribing the elusive German handwriting of the past.

Ten Tips for Deciphering Old German Handwriting - Germanology Unlocked

Katherine Schober, professional German genealogy translator, provides helpful tips for deciphering the old German script in your genealogy documents, complete with useful links and real-life examples.

The Old German Handwriting

Think Like a German: Spelling Variations in Genealogy Documents - Germanology Unlocked

Was your German document written by a "creative" speller? Read here to find out what they meant.

Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting: A Translator's Tricks of the Trade for Transcribing German Genealogy Documents - Germanology Unlocked

A book for sale, by Katherine Schober, SK Translations. Have German genealogy documents but can't read them? You're not alone. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced genealogy enthusiast, these easy-to-use transcription and translation tips by professional German handwriting translator Katherine Schober will help you reach new levels in deciphering your ancestors' genealogy records. In this newly-revised, comprehensive collection of Katherine's most popular articles and blog posts, you will discover how to easily recognize a number of letters in the old German handwriting, become familiar with the abbreviations, occupations and outdated words that pepper German documents and learn how to use the very same resources as a professional genealogy translator when deciphering letters, diaries, church records, certificates and more. Complete with real-life handwriting samples, German word glossaries and additional lists of genealogy tools, this guide is a must-have for anyone working with the old German script.

TypeIt - Type Accent Marks, Diacritics and Foreign Letters Online - German

Unlock Your History

We call it genealogical translation, but it's so much more meaningful than that. Unlock Your History specializes in Germanic languages (German, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, even English from earlier centuries) to help families translate and understand the context of their enigmatic documents.

Walden Font Co. - Purveyors of old and historic fonts and clip-art

Several different fonts for sale, including: 18 historic German Fraktur fonts, including Gutenberg's original bible font; a high-quality Old German Script font. Includes ligatures and special characters. Ideal for learning German Script; 9 handwriting fonts from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and beyond; 18 original Revolutionary War era fonts plus 300+ clip-art images; a historic 18th century font that includes the long "s" and other special characters.

What's in a Name? 10 Popular Boys' and Girls' Names in German Genealogy (With Handwritten Examples!) - Germanology Unlocked

Names are so important in German genealogy - and the key to filling in your family tree. But what if you can't read them? In this brand-new article, see the 10 most common boys' and girls' names in German genealogy - along with their handwritten equivalents. And make sure to scroll to the bottom of the article for two more tips on German names in your ancestors' documents.