The article focuses on fifteenth-century Icelandic translations from English. The translation work took place when Middle Low German was the most influential foreign language in the Nordic countries, and English was only little known. On the one hand, use of Middle Low German words in the translation of an English text is investigated, and it is argued that such use marks the position of Middle Low German as a “global language” in the Nordic language area in the fifteenth century. On the other hand, examples are given of the impact of the original text on the Icelandic translation.