DeepL Pro for greater efficiency in research and teaching
From translating to writing and soon to speech recognition – DeepL continues to evolve: since 2021, Switch Procure has been providing the university community with accurate translations using DeepL Pro Translator. At the beginning of 2025, DeepL Write Pro – a powerful tool for professional texts – was added to the portfolio. And the journey continues.
International collaboration has become standard practice at universities and other higher education institutions. Researchers work with partners in Europe and around the world, teachers supervise students from different language backgrounds, and administrative teams communicate across national borders. However, language barriers can make communication difficult. DeepL Pro offers a solution that goes far beyond traditional translation, creating new possibilities for efficient, accurate and data protection-compliant communication.
Both the web version and the locally installable software of the DeepL user interface are characterised by a particularly high level of user-friendliness, as is the option to integrate it into common Office applications.
DeepL offers alternative word choices at the touch of a button and allows you to quickly change the translation direction. These functions greatly facilitate and accelerate the creation and optimisation of translations and texts, even within your own native language.
DeepL Pro Translator – Translation at the highest level
DeepL Pro is renowned for its outstanding translation quality. It has emerged as the winner in several studies. Many users believe that DeepL translations sound more accurate and natural – particularly for European language pairs. DeepL is often praised for its ability to render idioms and colloquial expressions better. Rather than providing a literal translation that can often sound awkward, DeepL captures the meaning and tone of the original more effectively.
For higher education institutions, this means that texts and documents can be quickly and reliably translated into over 100 languages. Whether the text is a research proposal, a scientific article or an email, the results are linguistically precise, grammatically correct and orthographically flawless.
A key advantage of DeepL Pro over the free version is enhanced data protection. The servers are located in Europe and all data transferred to and from them is encrypted. Furthermore, DeepL Pro does not store any content or use it to train its LLM. This is particularly important for confidential documents and research data. Additionally, entire files, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF documents, can be translated without losing formatting.
Clarify – translation with context
The Clarify feature has been available in DeepL Pro Translator since spring 2025. When it encounters ambiguous terms, the system actively asks for clarification and offers various options. This establishes a dialogue that results in a more accurate and contextually appropriate translation – very similar to an exchange with an expert.
This is particularly valuable in specialist fields with complex terminology, such as law, medicine and technology. Rather than relying on the initial decision, users can select the most suitable option. The result is more accurate translations that convey the original text or its content more precisely.
Clarify is available as a standard feature in the DeepL Pro Translator license.
DeepL Write Pro – The intelligent writing assistant
In addition to providing translations, DeepL supports universities’ staff and students with their writing. DeepL Write Pro is an AI-powered writing assistant available in 10 languages, including German, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. DeepL itself refers to it as a digital proofreader: it corrects grammar and spelling errors, suggests stylistic improvements, and offers synonyms to help users achieve more precise wording.
The ability to adjust the tone and formality is particularly useful. For example, those writing a scientific article might choose an academic style, whereas a more casual tone may be appropriate for emails to students, depending on the message.
For researchers, this means spending less time on linguistic subtleties and more time on content. Teachers benefit when creating module descriptions or teaching materials, while students can enhance the linguistic quality of their work.
In conclusion: DeepL Pro is a strategic tool for multilingual higher education institutions.
DeepL Pro and its extensions, such as Write Pro and Voice for Meetings, are more than just practical aids. They increase efficiency, improve communication quality and promote collaboration across language barriers. DeepL is thus the key to greater understanding, inclusion and collaboration.
DeepL Pro Translator has been available from Switch Procure since 2021. At the beginning of 2025, the range was expanded to include DeepL Write Pro. DeepL Voice for Meetings is currently in the testing phase and is expected to be available from Switch Procure in 2026.
DeepL Voice for Meetings – overcoming language barriers in real time
Virtual meetings with international teams have become an everyday occurrence at universities. However, not all participants speak the same language. DeepL Voice for Meetings can display live subtitles in over 30 languages.
Participants speak in their own language while others read the translated content in real time. In addition, DeepL creates automatic transcripts to make revision easier. This product also guarantees data protection, and is currently available for meetings in Zoom and MS Teams.
