Found In Translation - Catherine Winkworth

1827–78

You may know some of the great hymn writers in Christian history—Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, Frances Ridley Havergal, Fanny Crosby—but sometimes there are other names attached to the songs we sing. When hymn texts come from German or French or Latin, as many do, we need a translator. This is an art form in itself, since the hymn translator needs to match the rhyme and meter of the work as well as the meaning.

Catherine Winkworth was one of the best at this, specializing in German hymns, especially those originating in the rich devotional tradition of the early Pietist movement.

A trip, a book, and a family friend got her interested in German translation. She grew up in Manchester, England, but her father, a silk merchant, had international connections. In her teens, Catherine traveled to Dresden and became fascinated with German culture and language. Back home, she came in contact with Baron Christian von Bunsen, the German (Prussian) ambassador to England. The Winkworth family developed a strong friendship with this well-respected Christian statesman. He even hired Catherine’s sister, Susanna, as his translator. At one point in the early 1850s, the baron gave Catherine a book of German devotional writings. This fed the young woman’s passion for all things German, and it gave her something of substance to translate.

Soon she was publishing her new renderings of the German poems and hymn texts. She set her verses to traditional tunes and published a hymnal. Now the English-speaking church had a new treasure trove of worship materials. Among Catherine Winkworth’s best-known translations are “Now Thank We All Our God,” “All Glory Be to God on High,” and “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.”

But Catherine’s life wasn’t just about words. She also worked hard to provide educational opportunities for girls in northern England—something that could not be taken for granted in that era.

Does it ever seem to you, in our world today, that Christians and non-Christians are speaking different languages? We speak of God’s salvation, and people hear only hate and judgment. We need to start doing some “translation” work, considering not only what we say, but also what others hear. Catherine Winkworth translated her faith into both words of worship and acts of love. Maybe we can do the same.

We all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!

Acts 2:11