Describe the contribution of Martin Luther in

the field of translation studies?

Martin Luther: (10 November 1483 18 February 1546) was a
German monk, Catholic priest, professor of theology and seminal
figure of the 16th-century movement in Christianity known later as
the Protestant Reformation.
In ancient times, the art of translation was considered as an
academic discipline of rhetoric and grammar - it was a mere word-
for-word rendering.
(1)

However, over the centuries translation has become a field of
interest for scholars and authorities in the western world, especially
in the case of key cultural and sacred texts such as the Bible. In the
year 1521, Martin Luther, a German theologian, social thinker and
reformer began with his translation of the New Testament since he
regarded it as his duty to make the holy texts accessible for the
ordinary people.

Martin Luther played a pivotal role in the reformation while,
linguistically, his use of a regional yet socially broad dialect went a
long way to reinforcing that form of the German languages as
standard.
Luther defended himself in his famous Sendbrief vom Dolmetschen
(Circular letter on translation) of 1530.
(2)

Luther was aware of the fact that a mere word-for-word translation
would not be sufficient in order to create a natural speech and clear
understanding in the respective TL (target language).

Luther decided to follow the principles of St Jerome, who openly
admitted in his Letter:
A mere word-for-word translation would not render the mystery of
the Greek ST (source Text), and applied a more sense-for-sense
translation which contributes to a more natural sound of language.
(3)


In addition to the sense-for-sense strategy, Luther put great
emphasize on the adaptation of the language spoken by people in
the streets and on marketplaces. The strategies and procedures
applied by Luther led to a translation which had a lasting impact on
German Culture and Language. His works Can be seen as a prime
example of why translation mattes in society.

In some passages of his translation, Martin Luther applies the
strategy of a free or sense-for-sense translation, since he was of
the same opinion as St. Jerome was.
Both translators argue that a literal translation in the case of some
words and sentences would lead to an absurd and incomprehensible
text.
In his Sendbrief vom Dolmetschen (Open Letter on Translation) he
defends his strategy and mentions that in some cases it is necessary
to avoid a literal translation in order to convey the right notion of the
words in the ST.
(4)


The second feature of his translation is the adaptation of the
language spoken by common people and his aim to create a reader-
oriented version of the ST. In his Sendbrief vom Dolmetschen he
states that in order to provide a text for the mother in the house, the
children on the street and the common men in the marketplace one
must adopt the nature of the TL.
(5)


His translation together with his Sendbrief vom Dolmetschen is an
excellent source for the early history of translation studies and
approaches in Western Europe. He did not only contribute largely to
the field of translation studies as he used various strategies and
methods which are fundamental in the discipline, but he also did
contribute much to the unification of the German language and the
Reformation in Europe as his reader-oriented approach in which he
combined a sense-for-sense. Translation with the adaptation of the
target cultures language provides accessibility for the people and
also inspiration for similar approaches of Bible translations such as
the translation done by William Tyndale who visited Luther in 1524.

(6)


Furthermore, does Luthers Sendbrief vom Dolmetschen provide a
great insight in the way of his approaches and procedures, which can
still be found in a lot of mark leaving ideas of contemporary scholars
and experts in the field of Translation Studies?
Today, and even more than four centuries earlier Martin Luthers
translation can serve as an excellent example for answering the
question: Why does translation matter in society

For that time onwards, the language of the ordinary German Speaks
clear and strong, thanks so Luther translation.


















References:

1: Douglas. Robinson, 2002; Western Translation Theory, St Jerome
Publishing
2: Jeremy Mundey,2012; Introducing Translation Studies 3
rd
edition,
Routledge
3: same as above
4: Douglas. Robinson, 2002; Western Translation Theory, St Jerome
Publishing
5: D. Robinson, 2002; Western Translation Theory, p87
6: Daniel Weissbrot & Astradur Eysteinsson, 2006; translation-theory
and practice: a historical reader, Oxford University Press, USA