Translate German images to English: manuals, labels and nameplates

This page is about technical German images: a page of a manual, the nameplate on a machine, a safety label, a datasheet or a screenshot of German software. Upload the image, choose English and select the Technical documentation mode: you get a new image with English text in the same layout. German packs a lot of meaning into long words, decimal commas and signal words, so the checks below matter more than the translation step. For English → German, see translate images into German.

German technical words you will meet

Signal words are not interchangeable

In machinery and equipment manuals, each signal word stands for a level of risk. Beckhoff's manuals, for example, pair them like this in their German and English editions:

Chemical labels follow a different system with only two signal words: "Gefahr" for more serious hazards and "Achtung" for less serious ones (BfR). In English, those labels say "Danger" and "Warning" (HSE). So "Achtung" on a chemical label is "Warning", not "Attention".

A translated image helps you understand a label. If you are placing a product on the market, its English safety labels should come from a reviewed translation, not a generated image.

What German does to a translation

Compound nouns

German joins words into one: Druckbegrenzungsventil is a pressure relief valve, Kühlschmierstoff a cooling lubricant. A generated translation can split a compound the wrong way or shorten it. If the manual has an English glossary, the terms in the image should match it.

Capital letters, umlauts and ß

German capitalizes nouns and the formal Sie ("you"), which tells it apart from sie ("she" or "they"). All-caps labels lose that cue. They can also hide ß: Maße means dimensions and Masse means mass, but both can appear as MASSE in capitals. Read the context before trusting the English.

Formal instructions

Instructions often use the formal Sie: "Ziehen Sie den Netzstecker" becomes "Unplug the device", not "Pull you the mains plug". Check that steps read as short English imperatives.

Numbers, dates and abbreviations

• Decimal comma: 2,5 mm is 2.5 mm, ±0,1 is ±0.1, and 1.000 is one thousand. Every value in a table is a chance for the separator to be misread.
• Dates and times: 03.10.2026 is 3 October 2026; 14:30 Uhr is 2:30 p.m.
• Abbreviations: z. B. (e.g.), inkl. (incl.), ca. (approx.), ggf. (if necessary), bzw. (or, respectively), Nr. (No.).
• Standards: DIN, EN, ISO and VDE references stay unchanged.

How to translate a German technical image

1. Capture one page, label or figure per image, sharp and straight, up to 10 MB (PNG, JPG or WebP). On engraved or reflective nameplates, avoid flash glare so that every character is legible.
2. Upload it to the image translator. Set the source to German or leave it on Auto-detect, and choose English.
3. In the Business type menu, select Technical documentation. The menu only shows on wide screens. Signed-in users can also make Technical documentation their Default Business Type in their profile, which applies on any screen.
4. On the Pro plan or above, add your terminology in the custom AI instructions (up to 1,000 characters), for example: "Translate Schutzart as degree of protection. Keep all DIN, EN and ISO references unchanged."
5. Review with the checklist below before you rely on any value.

For figures with callouts and leader lines, see the diagram translator; for graphs and infographics, the chart translator; for screenshots of German software, the screenshot translator.

Old documents: Fraktur and handwriting

Old family letters, certificates and church records are often handwritten in Kurrent or Sütterlin, and older print may be set in Fraktur. Few people today can read these handwritten scripts, so treat a generated translation of such documents as a draft. Have a person who reads old German scripts transcribe the text first, then translate the transcription.

Checklist for a translated German image

• Every value matches the original, with decimal commas converted correctly.
• Units, tolerances, IP codes and voltages unchanged.
• Signal words keep their level (GEFAHR stays DANGER).
• Compound terms match the manual's glossary.
• Model numbers, serial numbers and standard references untouched.
• Nothing left in German in small print or footnotes.

For other languages and general use, see translate images to English.