Since my dad passed away, I have no one to converse with in German, so when my mom passed on, I was at a loss when receiving tons of correspondence, all in German.  (Why the Swiss nationals cannot figure out that mail going to the U.S. should be in English is beyond me, but that is a separate story!)  I have to give kudos and thanks to the local Los Angeles Swiss Consulate General's office.  They were kind, polite and extremely helpful to me.  They read each letter I received, line for line, and provided not only a straight translation, but an interpretation of what each meant, along with very useful suggestions for dealing with each item.  Living in the U.S. certainly does have its perks, but the Consulate was able to tie it all in very nicely.