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An almost five-decade history of success

INTERTEXT has been operating successfully in translation and interpreting for more than sixty years. It was originally founded on 29 January 1962 in Berlin as East Germany’s main foreign language service. Between 1962 and 1965, branches were set up in the former district capitals of Rostock, Magdeburg, Halle, Erfurt, Leipzig, Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz) and Dresden – and despite restructuring in 1990, they are all still open to this day.

With over 1,000 people on the payroll, INTERTEXT was able to meet most of East Germany’s needs for translators and interpreters. Working in areas such as business, science, politics, the legal system and private assignments, the company acquired a huge amount of expertise. Over the years, this potential was continuously increased through INTERTEXT’s day-to-day activities and special training courses, and passed on from one generation to the next. By 1989, the company had reached the zenith of its importance and regarding its range of services.

The many major projects aided by INTERTEXT with translation (written) and interpreting (oral) services included the construction of the nuclear power plant in Greifswald, the building of the Orenburg gas pipeline in the erstwhile Soviet Union, and a variety of projects in developing countries such as the erection of a printing plant and a cement factory in Cuba as well as a rolling mill in Algeria. In addition, INTERTEXT interpreters worked at conferences of the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the various CSCE Follow-up Meetings until 1988.

INTERTEXT was also closely involved in honing the requirements for professional translators and interpreters in conjunction with the universities where they were trained. In 1977, it also teamed up with the Institute of Applied Linguistics and the computer centre at Dresden University of Technology to develop an electronic technical dictionary.

INTERTEXT’s strong focus on the needs of translators and interpreters and the resulting high expertise of its permanent and freelance staff enabled the company to look to the future with considerable confidence following the arrival of the free market in eastern Germany in 1990. Re-established in March 1990 as a registered cooperative and now with a far smaller number of permanent staff, INTERTEXT has managed to hold its own on the market ever since.

Go here to find out more about the development of INTERTEXT since 1990.