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Katherine Schober is a German-English genealogy speaker, author, and translator, specializing in the old German handwriting. She is the author of “The Magic of German Church Records” and “Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting”, as well as the creator of the online courses “Reading the Old German Handwriting" and "German for Genealogists”. She has translated for TV shows such as PBS' Finding Your Roots and The History Channel and has also worked with thousands of clients and their historical documents over the last decade. 

Geographic Specialities
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Germans from Russia, Germans in America 

Testimonials

“Katherine’s devotion to her craft shows throughout her website and in her work. She transcribed and translated some mid-1700’s handwritten documents about my ancestors, and deciphered a real puzzle of a word along the way. I feel a kind of fluidity and ease in reading her translations, and her footnotes are unusually informative with insights and explanations while still being concise. Katherine is also very professional in the ‘project management’ aspects of reaching agreement on the work to be done and then delivering the results. I highly recommend her.” - Steve, Family Historian 

“Katherine transcribed several handwritten German documents dating from the Second World War for me, and it was truly a pleasure to work with her. Thanks to her skill in deciphering the texts, I’ve learned a great deal about my family history, and she was particularly thorough in researching the places and names included in the text. Katherine is professional and resourceful with a great eye for detail – exactly as a good translator should be – and I would not hesitate in recommending her.!” - Carol, Family Historian 

"Katherine was instrumental in helping me give my wife—her words—“the best gift she has ever gotten”. For forty years, she has had copies of letters to and from her beloved grandmother and her siblings handwritten in German. Katherine translated the letters beautifully, providing us with both the German and English digital files. She was always responsive in our communications and met challenging time deadlines so that I could give my wife the letters as a Christmas present. Her fees were very fair. I could not recommend a professional person more highly.” - Mike, on a Christmas present for his wife 

 

 

Additional specialities or search keywords
German; German handwriting; German script; German genealogy; Kurrentschrift; Suetterlin

Publications/Media
The Magic of German Church Records
Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting 
Reading the Old German Handwriting + German for Genealogists Online Courses

Research Time Periods

• 20th Century
• 19th Century
• 18th Century
• 17th Century
• 16th Century and Earlier

Languages
German, English

Honorifics/Credentials
Master of Arts in German Language and Literature 

Affiliations
Association of Professional Genealogists
NGS Member 

Degrees
Master of Arts (German Language and Literature)