Translate Dutch - English help web-page

Introduction translate

Thanks to Google, translation is no longer an old-fashened pen and paper business, but a modern copy and paste action.
The certificates on my website are a made with an initial Google translation, followed by checks made with the spell checker in LibreOffice or 'van Dale' dictionary.

An online translation is available at: translate.google witch is useful for limited quantities of text and works with any browser
Certificates of birth, marriage and death can be translated, one at a time, see next chapter!

Selected parts of text can be copied and pasted into the source window.
With a button, the translation from Dutch to English is available.

A quick way to translate a web page to English is to use the Google 'Chrome' browser, and install the translate plugin. (Now language may be automatic detected, and translation proposed?)

On the browser toolbar appears a 'translate' icon - right of the address bar
This is very useful for a 'normal' web-page.

Plugin download: Chrome Translage extension.

Many certificates of birth, marriage and death are available in the Dutch pages of this website.
Because of the VERY large amount of text on the page, it is NOT possible to use the Chrome online translate function, it will translate only the first 100 lines of text.

Researching your own family tree...

A number of articles about Dutch genealogy can be found at:

Check the website: goDutch The Basics: A Guide by Tony Hofstee
About the website GoDutch: 'Your link to the Dutch community in North America'.
Table of Contents:
- Biographical Sketch
- How to Start
- Keeping Track
- Tracing Family Origin
- Registry Resources
- Resource Centres
- Marriage Records
- LDS Record System
and many more! ...
website: Tony Hofstee's Home Page
Researching Your Dutch Ancestors by Miriam Klaassen
Among the subjects are:
- Civil Registration
- Marriage Certificates
- Population Registration
- Online Resources
- Dutch Surnames
- Dutch First Names
- Dutch Peculiarities: women keep their maiden name, date format, alphabetical ordering (Dutch surnames with prefixes)
- The Dutch Language, Genealogical Basics
and more! ...
In the last chapter, 'dictionary' is a small word list, and a link to more ...

Researching your own family tree...

Many Birth, Mariage and Death certificates are on-line available, see my Dutch page Internet sources FamilySearch

Google: page

Dutch pages about computer subjects from the website can also be translated by using Google translate in any browser.
For this purpose, the page needs to be opened with a right mouse click, open 'link' from menu in new tab, see example.

The address of the Google.html page can be copied (from the address bar) and pasted into the Google translate window.
See example below:

See results of the 'translated' Google page below:

Google: text

Dutch text can be translated by selectively copying text in a source window, the translation comes in a destination window, see example;

This is very useful for certificates. See example large certificate: marriage

Small certificates (birth certificates) offer the possibility of correction, see example: select word

Other options for highlighted word follows:

Remark:

Names are translated, examples: Jacobus becomes James, Francois = Frank, Maria = Mary.

A second option is to translate text is to use Google Docs.

Login to your Google account
Open new document
Paste selected Dutch text in document
From Menu: select Extra, and Translate - to your language

Translation tips: Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation for the highest quality translations.
This contradicts with the old spelling used in the certificates.

A minor problem is, that names are sometimes translated very strict.

Warnings:

In the translation the name 'van Leeuwen' is translated to 'from lions'.
In the translation the city name 'Leiderdorp' is translated to 'LEADER village'.
Many words in the documents are written as precisely as possible as in the original acts, so the city "Leiden" may be Leyden or Leijden in the old handwriting.
The translation service might not recognize the 'old' words, with are obvious to native Dutch speakers.

One funny translation that I encountered was: 'Aaltje van Zomeren' was translated into 'Nematode of summer'.
See wikipedia for (Nl) Aaltje = 'rondwormen' (En) Nematode

Dictionary

recommended reading: Familysearch: Netherlands Language and Languages

An interesting option for single words might be the Wikipedia Wiktionary dictionary

Wiktionary: the free dictionary: 4,246,171 entries with English definitions from over 1550 languages! [Nov 2015]

An on-line translation service for words is at: MijnWoordenboek "My Dictionary"

Dictionary

some of the most used words in the certificates are:

Dutch:	English:
Dictionary
geboorte	birth
doop	baptism
ondertrouw	issue of intended marriage
huwelijk	marriage
overlijden, dood	decease, death
geboorte akte	birth certificate
huwelijks akte	marriage license
overlijdens akte	death certificate

vader	father
moeder	mother
broer	brother
zuster	sister

dorp, commune	village
stad	city
beroep	occupation

See also: Wikipedia: Ondertrouw (Dutch) - Ondertrouw (English)

Some of the occupations in my family tree, see also page: Pedigree translation (Dutch).

beroep (Dutch)	occupation, profession	profession, (French)
vertaling - translation:
arbeider	worker, workman, workwoman
brievenbesteller	postman, mailman, mail carrier
werkman	workman
bezemmaker	broommaker (besommaker?)
dagloner, dagarbeider	'day' worker	journalier
dienaar van policie	civil servant: police, officer
dienstbode	servant, girl
econoom	economist
hengsthouder	stud holder
kleermaker	dressmaker
knecht	servant
mandenmaker	basketmaker
metselaar	bricklayer
naaister	needlewoman, seamstress
postbode	postman, mailman
schoenmaker	cobbler, shoemaker	condonnier
smids	blacksmith
smidsknecht	blacksmith enslaves
spinster	spinner (female)
pruikenmaker	wigmaker
tekenleraar	art teachter
timmermansknecht	carpenter enslaves
veldarbeider	farm/agricultural worker
verver	painter
visverkoper	fish seller, vendor
werkvrouw	workwoman
verpleegster	nurse

Spelling

Handy for telephone contacts with Dutch / English people.

Wikipedia:
A spelling alphabet, radio alphabet, or telephone alphabet is a set of words which are used to stand for the letters of an alphabet. Each word in the spelling alphabet typically replaces the name of the letter with which it starts (acrophony). It is used to spell out words when speaking to someone not able to see the speaker.

Dutch	English
Wikipedia
Spelalfabet	Spelling alphabet
NATO	NATO

If you came this far with reading this web-page, you might be interested in: Dutch online grammar course