Beneath the seemingly mechanical act of translation lies a rich and complex world of interpretation. How do choices about translation inform both the availability and understanding of the works of prominent thinkers? Who performs the work of translation? Which original texts do they choose? Who underwrites these tasks? How are the translated works disseminated? Editor Mary Jane Haemig has compiled a remarkable array of scholarship, published in Lutheran Quarterly between 2014 and 2024, that considers how cultural and religious contexts around the world shaped the selection of writings for translation, and thus affected the spread of Luther's ideas.
Luther in Translation includes thoughtful contributions from global scholars exploring where, when, and how various writings by Martin Luther have been translated from the sixteenth century to the present. Twenty-four essays covering languages spoken in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America uncover the achievements and challenges of this work, bookended by an introduction from editor Haemig and concluding reflections from Robert Kolb. Scholars and general readers will find this thought-provoking collection a fruitful source of both information and inspiration that may generate future research and translation efforts.
