size s · up to 1,000 words
the one-pager
$265
2 business days
- Letters, riders, certificates, one-page agreements
- Signed certificate of accuracy
- Second-reader check
~/hallowell-voss $ ./open --file clause_14.pdf
friday, 4:47pm. clause 14 just means something else in portuguese.
Hallowell & Voss translates contracts, regulatory filings and product documentation between German, Portuguese, Spanish and English. A certified translator signs every project, and the fee is fixed before we type a word. We work from 1938 Ocean Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY, with a kettle and two dictionaries per desk.
- DE ⇄ EN
- PT ⇄ EN
- ES ⇄ EN
stdout · one clause, start to signature
- $ translate --pair pt-BR→en clause_14.docx
- − “rescisão por conveniência”
- + “termination for convenience”
- ! query 1 sent: “poderá” — may, or must?
- ✓ certificate_of_accuracy.pdf signed
~/house-rules $ cat promise.md
the house rule, and the fine print behind it
A translation is a promise made twice. We sign for both halves.
— the house rule, taped above the kettle
- Sign-off
- A certified translator signs a certificate of accuracy for every project. It is in the fee, not an add-on.
- Pairs
- German, Portuguese and Spanish into English, and back again, with a native reader of the target language on every file.
- Fee
- One fixed number per project, quoted before work starts and billed by invoice when the files ship.
- Privacy
- NDA signed before we open page one. Your files stay off free web translators, full stop.
- Desk
- 1938 Ocean Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11223
Mon–Thu 9am–5pm · Fri to 3pm
~/route $ tail -f job.log
the long way round one clause
Follow a file from your inbox to your signature page. Light on drama, heavy on commas, and every stop leaves a line in the log.
See what it costs-
01
send it as it is
Word, PDF, a PDF scanned at a jaunty angle, InDesign. We read the whole thing before we quote it, because a fee based on page one is a fee based on hope.
received: 1 file, 14 pages, 3,820 words -
02
one number, in writing
Within one business day you get a single fixed fee covering translation, second read and certification. It does not creep upward at 4pm on the due date. A rush adds 25%, and we say so up front.
quote: fixed · invoice on delivery -
03
a translator drafts
Someone who writes the target language as a first language, with a background in contracts, pharma or engineering, whichever your file smells like. Terms land in your glossary the moment they’re decided.
glossary: 212 terms and counting -
04
a second reader goes in cold
A different linguist reads the English first, without the source, to hear whether it sounds like a person wrote it. Then they check it against the original, line by line. Anything ambiguous comes back to you as a numbered query, never as creative writing in your contract.
queries: 2 open · 0 guessed -
05
signed, stamped, invoiced
You get the translated files, the signed certificate of accuracy, and an invoice for the number we quoted. Same number.
I certify that this English text is a complete and accurate rendering of the attached German original.
Signed by the translator · countersigned by the second reader · Brooklyn, NY
~/method $ ls -1
three habits we refuse to outgrow
-
one glossary, kept for good
Your “Geschäftsführer” becomes “managing director” once, and stays that way in the 2027 filing too. The glossary is yours, exportable, and not held hostage if you ever move on.
termbase · exportable · yours
-
two readers, one deadline
The person who drafted it never proofs it. Fresh eyes catch the “shall” that quietly turned into “should”, the sort of difference a lawyer finds eighteen months later at a much higher hourly rate.
draft · cold read · compare
-
we ask before we guess
When the source is vague, we don’t pick the most flattering reading. We send a numbered query list, you answer in a line or two, and the final text carries your decision rather than our hunch.
query log · numbered · answered
~/rates $ cat fixed-fees.txt
pick a size. the fee stays put.
Certified sign-off and the second read are in every price. Same fee for either direction of a pair. Invoice arrives when the files do.
size m · up to 5,000 words
the contract
$1,085
5 business days
- Commercial, employment and licensing agreements
- Signed certificate of accuracy
- Numbered query list before anything is final
size l · up to 20,000 words
the dossier
$3,640
12 business days
- Regulatory filings, manuals, full documentation sets
- Project glossary delivered with the files
- Two translators, one second reader
Rush adds 25%. Bigger than 20,000 words? We quote by the project, and it is still a single number.
~/languages $ ls --all
from boilerplate to bill of materials, in both directions
DE ⇄ ENGerman
PT ⇄ ENPortuguese
ES ⇄ ENSpanish
- Contracts & NDAs
- Shareholder agreements
- Employment contracts
- Regulatory filings
- Instructions for use
- Safety data sheets
- Software UI & help text
- Terms & privacy notices
- Corporate minutes
Variants matter: German (DE · AT · CH) · Portuguese (BR · PT) · Spanish (ES · MX · US). Tell us who reads it and we’ll write for them, not for the average of everybody.
~/quote $ ./start
send the page you’re dreading first
A free read-through and a fixed fee, back to you within one business day. Hours are Mon–Thu 9am–5pm and Fri to 3pm; a Friday-evening file gets answered Monday, with coffee.
what to attach
- the source file, in whatever shape it is
- target language and country (pt-BR and pt-PT are different jobs)
- deadline, and who has to sign off on this
- anything you already call things (your glossary, your cursing)
what does “certified” actually get me?
A signed certificate of accuracy from the translator, stating the English is complete and accurate against the original. If a court or agency wants a notary on top, tell us and we’ll quote that stamp separately.
what if my file turns out bigger?
We count words before we quote, so the fee is based on the real file. If you add pages later, we send an updated number before touching them, never after.
how fast can it go?
Roughly 2,000 words per translator per day, before the second read. Faster is possible for +25%, and we’ll tell you honestly if it isn’t.
how do I pay?
We invoice when the certified files ship, for the fee we quoted. No deposits, no hourly meter running in the background.
~/contact $ whoami
reach a human with a pulse and a glossary
call
the phone
(908) 309-2031Picked up by someone who has read your file, or is about to.
Ring the desk →write
the inbox
hello@hallowellvoss.comAttach the file, name the languages, and we reply with a fee.
Fire off an email →visit
the desk
1938 Ocean Pkwy
Brooklyn, NY 11223
Bring paper originals; leave with a plan.
Find the buzzer →hours
the schedule
Mon–Thu 9am–5pm
Fri to 3pm
Sat & Sun: the kettle rests
Invoices, not deposits.
Book a quote →