“Think of us as an international extension of your communications team, with backgrounds in banking, consulting and accounting.”
Which texts are involved
Every occasion comes with its own types of text, and each makes different demands on the English version. We agree with you at the start which of them you need.
| Occasion | Typical texts | What matters |
|---|---|---|
| Ad hoc disclosure | Ad hoc announcement, accompanying press release | The announcement has to go out without delay. Every figure, every qualification and every “expected to” must promise exactly as much in English as in German. |
| Takeover, merger, sale | Deal announcement, offer document, reasoned statement by the Management Board and Supervisory Board, letter to employees, customer information | The same terms in every document, from signing to closing. Legal wording stays legally precise. |
| Crisis | Statement, holding lines, Q&A for spokespeople, letter to customers or employees | The same responsibility and the same commitments in every language, and no more. |
| Change and restructuring | Employee information, intranet copy, letter from the Management Board | Staff in several countries read the same message at the same time, in language that doesn’t sound like head office. |
| CEO communications | Speech, interview, letter to shareholders | The personal voice of whoever is speaking, in English, too. |
Where one word shifts the message
In deals and crises, every phrase is read against the original, by analysts, lawyers and journalists. Small shifts change the message: talks turn into negotiations, an intention turns into a commitment.
| German | English | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| beabsichtigt | intends to | “will” would read as a firm commitment |
| führt Gespräche | is in talks | “negotiations” would suggest things are further along |
| vorbehaltlich der behördlichen Genehmigungen | subject to regulatory approvals | conditions stay as visible as in the original |
| unverbindliche Interessenbekundung | non-binding expression of interest | no commitment that does not exist |
| Insiderinformation | inside information | the term used in the English version of the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR), not “insider information” |
| Angebotsunterlage | offer document | technical term from German takeover law (WpÜG) |
| begründete Stellungnahme | reasoned statement | the statement by the target’s Management Board and Supervisory Board |
| Aufsichtsrat | Supervisory Board | “board of directors” describes a different, one-tier system |
Dr. Phoebe Kebbel of Hering Schuppener Group describes how this works in practice:
“Burton Münch & Partners are a sound investment in international M&A projects: there’s no other team of translators that so expertly gets to the heart of highly complex subject matter, renders politically sensitive wordings with such unfailing accuracy and an eye for the finer points, and time and again strikes the perfect chord with so much panache.”
Speed across time zones
Crises don’t keep office hours. Neither do deal announcements.
Our network covers several time zones, and working nights and weekends isn’t off limits if that’s when our clients need us. Because we assign the same teams to each client, those teams already know your company and your terminology before things get urgent.
Confidentiality
We treat data confidentiality with the seriousness it deserves, all the more because we work with your documents, ideas and information long before they reach the market. For file transfer, we offer encrypted email or uploads and downloads with SSL encryption.
Listed companies have an additional duty that sits with the issuer: keeping a list of everyone with access to inside information. The Market Abuse Regulation (Article 18 MAR) extends this to people who are not employees but perform tasks that give them such access, advisers for example.
Working with your communications agency
In deals and crises, a strategic and financial communications agency is often at the table. We work with both sides: for many years, companies, their investor relations teams and the agencies they hire have trusted us with major M&A transactions, crisis management and CEO communications.
Among the agencies on our client list are Brunswick Group, Deekeling Arndt Advisors, Hering Schuppener Consulting and Weber Shandwick. You will find the full list in our Showcase.
Rules at a glance
For listed companies in Germany, the law and the stock exchange set the framework, down to the language.
| Document | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ad hoc announcement | Inside information that directly concerns the issuer has to be disclosed as soon as possible. | Article 17(1) MAR |
| Ad hoc announcement in the Prime Standard | also in English | Deutsche Börse |
| Offer document for a takeover bid | in German | Section 11(1) WpÜG |
| Reasoned statement of the target company | published by the Management Board and Supervisory Board without undue delay after the offer document has been sent | Section 27(3) WpÜG |
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.
Frequently asked questions
In the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, yes: Deutsche Börse requires ad hoc announcements in English as well. Outside the Prime Standard, your legal department can tell you which language is required.
The usual terms are ad hoc announcement or ad hoc disclosure. For what it contains, the English version of the Market Abuse Regulation uses inside information, in German Insiderinformation. More in our glossary.
That depends on length and rounds of approval. What we can say: our network covers several time zones, and working nights and weekends isn’t off limits if that’s when our clients need us.
We work with your documents long before they reach the market and treat their confidentiality with the seriousness it deserves. For file transfer, we offer encrypted email or uploads and downloads with SSL encryption.
The obligation to keep insider lists is set out in Article 18 MAR. It also covers people who are not employed by the issuer but perform tasks that give them access to inside information.
The offer document does: under Section 11(1) WpÜG, it has to be written in German. For a bidder from abroad, that means the route to German shareholders runs through a German version as precise as the original.
Yes. For many years, our clients have included strategic and financial communications agencies working for companies and their investor relations teams. Our client list includes Brunswick Group, Deekeling Arndt Advisors and Hering Schuppener Consulting, among others.
Crisis communications, change management processes and CEO communications are part of our IR/PR work. We agree with you which texts you need in each case.