There is of course no one German handwriting, but often German
     documents are hard to read.  It takes practice to read handwritten
     documents, and each hand is different, often requiring some study
     even for the practiced eye.  Try to figure out words from context.
     Most genealogical documents have a limited vocabulary.  Look at
     other entries in the same hand to help you decipher the hardest
     parts.  Often the best approach is to ask another knowledgeable
     researcher at the library or archive where you encounter the
     difficult document.  There are also several books that can help
     teach you how to read German handwriting; these are available from
     genealogical supply firms or good bookstores.  Or use the German
     genealogy snail/fax translation service outlined above.

     The German genealogy server has examples of old German
     handwriting, Windows software for learning German handwriting,
     and a bibliography of texts on the subject at
       <http://www.genealogy.net/misc/scripts.html>

     The Transcribe Group transcribes from scanned originals for free:
       <http://www.rootsweb.com/~deutg/>