Übersetzungsauftrag: dem Volk aufs Maul schauen. Martin Luthers Maßstab zur Bibelübersetzung
Translation task: guided by the language of the people. Martin Luther's standard for translating the Bible

Summary/Abstract: Martin Luther was a pioneer in many ways: he was the first to translate the Bible into German from the original languages, Greek and Hebrew, considering also the Latin Vulgate. Thanks to his translation work, he was also the first to succeed in laying the basis for a unitary German linguistic culture and making a significant contribution to the formation of the modern German language. As far as the translation process is concerned, Luther “imposed” himself a main translation assignment: not to stick to the wording of the source text, but to recreate its meaning. The so-called “eindeutschende/ Germanizing” version of the Bible prompted him to comment on his approach in theoretical writings. These topics will be dealt with in the first part of this paper. The next section of the article focuses on the connection between Luther’s reflections on the translation process and the modern functional translation theories, especially the Skopos theory. Developed by Hans Vermeer in the early 1980s, it considers the purpose as the dominant feature of any translation. In terms of functional theories, one can also speak about the functioning of the translation in the target culture and especially on the target culture recipient. Thus, focus will be laid on the primary and secondary translation targets Luther took into consideration when translating the holy texts as they appear in his theoretical writings and as applied in his work. A parallel will be also drawn to the guidelines of the modern Skopos theory.

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