ɪt wʌz fˈɜːst tɹænslˈeɪɾᵻd baɪ tˈɑːməs də kwˈɪnsi ænd pˈʌblɪʃt ɐnˈɑːnəməsli æz "ðə fˈeɪɾəl mˈɑːɹksmən" ɪn pˈɑːpjʊlɚ tˈeɪlz ænd ɹoʊmˈænsᵻz ʌvðə nˈɔːɹðɚn nˈeɪʃənz wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti θɹˈiː, fˈɑːloʊd bˈaɪ "dˈɛɹ fɹˈeɪʃuːts; ɔːɹ, ðə mˈædʒɪk bˈɔːlz" baɪ mˈɛɹi daɪˈænə dˈɑːdz ɪn tˈeɪlz ʌvðə wˈaɪld ænd ðə wˈʌndɚfəl wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti fˈaɪv, ɐɡˈɛn æz "dˈɛɹ fɹˈeɪʃʌts" ɪn dʒˈɔːɹdʒ ɡˈɑːdfɹi kˈʌnɪŋˌæmz fˈɔːɹən tˈeɪlz ænd tɹɐdˈɪʃənz wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti nˈaɪn ɐlˈɔŋ wɪð "" æz "ðə pˈaɪpɚɹ ʌv nˈiːs", ænd ɐnˈɑːnəməsli æz ðɪ ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəl lˈɛdʒənd ʌv dˈɛɹ fɹˈeɪʃuːts, ɔːɹ ðə fɹˈiː ʃˈɑːt wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi θɹˈiː.
It was first translated by Thomas De Quincey and published anonymously as "The Fatal Marksman" in Popular Tales and Romances of the Northern Nations (1823), followed by "Der Freischütz; or, The Magic Balls" by Mary Diana Dods in Tales of the Wild and the Wonderful (1825), again as "Der Freischutz" in George Godfrey Cunningham's Foreign Tales and Traditions (1829) along with "" as "The Piper of Neisse", and anonymously as The Original Legend of Der Freischütz, or the Free Shot (1833).