“A good translation has to render information in an accurate and nuanced way. But it also has to appeal to the target group’s hearts and minds, sidestep cultural pitfalls, bring home the company’s message and add currency to its brand world.”
What an English version has to deliver
Precision
Figures, names and technical terms have to be right, throughout the report and compared with last year. If the management report says “revenue” and the investor presentation says “sales”, an analyst will ask why. So we work with client-specific terminology databases and a multi-stage editing process.
Tone of voice
A CEO letter is a voice, not a data sheet. In English, your company should sound the way your readers know it in German. Client-specific terminology and the same writing team for every chapter keep tone and wording consistent.
Readability
German corporate writing leans on long compound nouns and the passive voice. Carried over word for word, the result is correct and hard work to read. For the magazine and image section, translation is often not enough: we adapt those texts the way we adapt advertising.
Annual report, financial statements, management report: what is what
Three German terms that often get mixed up. The Geschäftsbericht (annual report) is the publication. The annual financial statements (Jahresabschluss) and the management report (Lagebericht) are the parts the German Commercial Code (HGB) requires. The word Geschäftsbericht does not appear in the HGB at all.
| English | What it covers | Legal basis | German |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual report | the publication on the financial year: mandatory parts plus voluntary ones such as the letter to shareholders and a magazine section | not a legal term | Geschäftsbericht |
| Annual financial statements | balance sheet and income statement; for corporations, with notes | Section 242(3), Section 264(1) HGB | Jahresabschluss |
| Management report | business performance, position and expected development with opportunities and risks | Section 289 HGB, for groups Section 315 HGB | Lagebericht |
| Annual financial report | what domestic issuers have to publish, including the financial statements, the management report and the responsibility statement | Section 114 WpHG | Jahresfinanzbericht |
The statutory filing is in German (Section 325(1) HGB). The English version is written for the capital market, and in the Prime Standard the stock exchange requires it. The balance sheet and the income statement have more than one correct English title: the official translation of the HGB says balance sheet and profit and loss account, IFRS says statement of financial position and statement of profit or loss, and IAS 1 expressly allows other titles. The only wrong choice is switching halfway through the report. Our German-English annual report translation guide goes through the terms in detail.
Every part of the report has its own demands
An annual report is not one uniform text. At the start, we agree with you which parts are translated and which are adapted.
| Part of the report | What matters |
|---|---|
| Letter to shareholders (CEO letter) | the personal voice of the Management Board; tone matters more than word-for-word fidelity |
| Magazine and image section | copy written to persuade; this calls for adaptation, not translation |
| Management report | fixed technical terms, consistent with the previous year and the consolidated financial statements |
| Consolidated financial statements and notes | IFRS terminology; figures and tables exactly as in the original |
| Sustainability statement | ESRS terms and the same terminology as the rest of the report |
| German | English (common usage) |
|---|---|
| Geschäftsbericht | annual report |
| Lagebericht, Konzernlagebericht | management report, group management report |
| Konzernabschluss | consolidated financial statements |
| Anhang | notes |
| Jahresabschluss | annual financial statements |
| Bilanz | balance sheet; under IFRS, statement of financial position |
| Gewinn- und Verlustrechnung (GuV) | income statement; under IFRS, statement of profit or loss |
| Halbjahresfinanzbericht | half-year financial report |
| Quartalsmitteilung | quarterly statement |
| Vergütungsbericht | remuneration report |
| Ad-hoc-Mitteilung | ad hoc announcement |
| Bestätigungsvermerk | independent auditor’s report |
| Vorstand | Management Board, depending on the company also Executive Board or Board of Management |
| Aufsichtsrat | Supervisory Board |
| Hauptversammlung | Annual General Meeting (AGM) |
| Nachhaltigkeitserklärung | sustainability statement |
In the end, your company’s own terminology is what counts. It goes into the terminology database we set up and maintain for you.
Working together in reporting season
If your financial year ends on 31 December, the annual financial report has to be published by the end of April at the latest. The English version is written under the same time pressure as the German one. This is how we work in that phase:
Same teams. We assign the same teams to each client, which keeps writing style and content consistent.
Terminology database. Once a term is agreed, it applies to every chapter and to the reports of the following years.
Multi-stage editing. Every text goes through several checks before it reaches you.
Several time zones. Our network covers several time zones, and working nights and weekends isn’t off limits if that’s when you need us.
Secure file transfer. Besides encrypted email, we offer uploads and downloads with SSL encryption.
Deadlines and language rules at a glance
For companies in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Deutsche Börse requires reporting in German and English, and ad hoc announcements in English as well. For domestic issuers, the deadlines for annual and half-year financial reports are set by the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG).
| Document | Deadline | Language in the Prime Standard | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual financial report | no later than four months after the end of the financial year | German and English | Section 114 WpHG, Deutsche Börse |
| Half-year financial report | no later than three months after the end of the reporting period | German and English | Section 115 WpHG, Deutsche Börse |
| Quarterly statement (first and third quarter) | within two months of the end of the quarter | German and English | Section 53 BörsO FWB |
| Ad hoc announcement | without delay | in English at the same time | Article 17 MAR, Section 56 BörsO FWB |
In the Prime Standard, the English annual financial report is due at the stock exchange by the same deadline as the German one (Section 51(2) BörsO FWB). All 2027 dates, with a checklist for the run-up, are in Reporting season 2027: a schedule for the English version.
As of October 2026. This overview is not legal advice: we translate and edit, we do not advise on law. Your legal department can tell you which obligations apply to your company.
Certification and interpreting: two different jobs
A certified translation (beglaubigte Übersetzung) carries a statement by a translator authorized or publicly appointed under German state law that it is accurate and complete (Section 142(3) ZPO). Courts and authorities ask for it, for example when a foreign stock corporation files its articles of association for a German branch with the commercial register (Section 13f HGB). Neither the WpHG nor the Exchange Rules call for certification of the English version of an annual report. It is written for investors, not for a court.
Interpreting is oral: at the general meeting, interpreters render speeches and debate, simultaneously or section by section. The written texts come first. Once the meeting is convened, listed companies make the notice with the agenda, the financial statements, the management report and the Supervisory Board’s report, among other documents, available on their website (Section 124a AktG). Neither the Stock Corporation Act nor the Exchange Rules require an English version.
Why the extra effort pays off
Adaptation and several rounds of editing pay off in communication terms. Our clients have won a series of awards with our texts, among them awards for annual reports, for example for Gerresheimer and HOCHTIEF.
“I enjoy nothing more than a healthy bottom line—especially when the text adds up, too. BMP brings our message home to analysts and shareholders in true style every time.”
Investor relations references
Under investor relations, our client list includes Allianz, Audi, CVC Capital Partners, Daimler, Deutsche Bank, Gerresheimer, Grohe, HOCHTIEF, Infineon, KKR, Klöckner & Co, ProSiebenSat.1, Vaillant Group and Volkswagen. You will find the full list in our Showcase.
Frequently asked questions
For companies in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, yes: Deutsche Börse requires reporting in German and English there. Outside the Prime Standard, the capital market usually decides. If you want international investors and analysts to read your report, you need an English version.
Your legal department can tell you which rules apply in your case.
The annual financial statements (Jahresabschluss) are the statutory part: balance sheet and income statement, for corporations with notes (Sections 242 and 264 HGB). The annual report (Geschäftsbericht) is the publication in which they appear together with the management report and voluntary parts such as the letter to shareholders. The annual report is not a legal term.
Usually balance sheet and income statement. Under IFRS, they are the statement of financial position and the statement of profit or loss; the official translation of the HGB calls the GuV the profit and loss account. Your company picks one title and keeps it.
No, not under the WpHG or the Exchange Rules. Courts and authorities ask for certified translations, for example for official documents or filings with the commercial register. The English version of an annual report is read by investors and analysts.
Alongside the writing of the report, as soon as approved chapters are available. We align our schedule with your editorial and typesetting plan.
With a client-specific terminology database and the same teams for each client. The same facts get the same names in every year and in every part of the report.
A team of financial translators, journalists, copywriters and copy editors. Our English team has backgrounds in banking, consulting and accounting.
Then things get tight, and we are set up for that: our network covers several time zones, and working nights and weekends isn’t off limits if that’s when our clients need us.
We treat data confidentiality with the seriousness it deserves, all the more because we work with your documents long before they reach the market. For file transfer, we offer encrypted email or uploads and downloads with SSL encryption.
It depends on the length of the report, on how much of it needs adaptation rather than translation, on existing terminology and on the schedule. Get in touch and we will tell you what your report involves.