If the phrase “travel guide” makes you think Lonely Planet, Time Out or Rick Steves’, Engadin Magazine might just surprise you. Its focus isn’t on the latest sightseeing destination, but on the unique style and sophistication of this high mountain valley. Twice a year, photographers and journalists travel to the most remote corners of the Engadin for months at a time, seeking to portray the region in all its diversity: from cultural highlights to culinary heights and natural forces to nanotechnology.
It’s a winning formula: the magazine is appreciated not only by countless tourists, but also by the juries of prestigious awards. In 2022, it even won the German Design Award.
This high-flying publication is run by a team from the lowlands, Zurich-based Passaport AG. Since 2010, Passaport has also been publishing Transhelvetica, a multi-award-winning travel magazine with an unparalleled depth of research and impressively strong aesthetic.
Enlightening English readers in style
Supertext had already consulted on Passaport’s multilingual projects several times before taking over translation duties for Engadin Magazine’s winter 2023/2024 issue. The theme for the season was light – which, in a high valley with over 300 days of sunshine a year, offers more than enough material for almost 150 pages of fascinating content.
Of course, the Passaport team’s standards for the translation were just as high as those for their own writing. Every word needed to be perfect, from the longest articles to the shortest captions. That’s why Supertext quickly organized a casting call based on a sample text from Passaport. The publisher received different translations from experienced professionals and was able to choose the perfect match for its style itself. Each German article was then submitted for translation as it was finished. Although this process took place over a span of two months, the result was seamless consistency.
To ensure quality also reached lofty heights, a second professional translator checked the target English text against the original in a bilingual review. Once all the translations were completed, Supertext also handled the final review of the English-language version, ensuring that the layout of this high-quality product embodied just as much elegance and class as the German original.
“Simply great”
The results of this hard work are currently being distributed throughout the Engadin and the rest of Switzerland – and online – with a circulation of 37,000 copies (including 7,000 in English). It’s an impressive achievement – as confirmed by Karin Dehmer, editor at Passaport and manager of the joint project:
“The collaboration is unbeatable in terms of convenience: super professional, quick and straightforward. The Supertext platform also gives you an overview of the current status of orders, the budget and the schedule at all times.”
Before winter has even arrived, the next summer issue of Engadin Magazine is already well on its way. With Supertext along for the hike, of course.
Cover image via Engadin Tourismus AG