Translating Luther’s German Bible?

I'm a Christian from a Lutheran Church in China. Some people would like the German Bible translated from Greek by Luther in the 16th century to be translated into Chinese. My question is whether it is necessary to translate that German Bible into English or other language now.

Bible translations are undertaken so that the message of God’s word can be communicated clearly to people in a language they know and understand. Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible was immensely important because it put the truths of God’s word into the language that common people in Germany could understand.

Is it necessary to translate Luther’s Bible into English or another language? No. It would be preferable to translate from the original languages of the Bible—Hebrew and Greek—as Luther did. A translation of his translation would amount to a paraphrase.

I understand that numerous Chinese Bible translations are available to you: for example, the Chinese Union Version, the Revised Chinese Union Version and the Chinese Contemporary Bible.

If you are interested in other Bible-based materials in Chinese, this link will take you to the Chinese section of Multi-Language Publications available from Northwestern Publishing House.

God bless your study of his word!