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Q. How do I cite or reference non-English or translated sources in APA Style?

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Answered By: Theresa Bell (she/her/hers) Last Updated: Apr 11, 2023     Views: 188456

APA Style (7th ed.)

If you translated material from the original text, consider that translation a paraphrase because the translation is no longer a quotation of the original text. For much more information, please visit How to Cite Your Own Translation in the APA Style Blog . In-text citations to text you’ve translated follow the typical approach to an in-text citation: (Author, year, p. X).

If you are working with a translated text and you’re quoting the translator’s text, use quotation marks to indicate the quoted text. If you worked with a resource that is a reprinted translation of another text, include both the original year of publication and the year of publication for the translation: (Author of original text, year of publication of the original text/year of translated text).

For example:

Foucault, M. (1995). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison (A. Sheridan, Trans.). Vintage Books. (Original work published 1977).

• In-text citation: (Foucault, 1977/1995)

The reference for a non-translated source in a language other than English follows the typical APA Style formatting for the source (e.g., book ), presents the original title of the work and the English translation of the title in square brackets.

Here's an example provided on page 323 of the APA Style manual of a reference to a book published in another language:

Piaget, J. (1950). La construction du réel chez l'enfant [The child’s construction of reality]. Neuchâtel, Delachaux, & Niestlé.

• In-text citation: (Piaget, 1950)

For more information, see How to Cite Translated Works in the APA Style Blog .

American Psychological Association. (2020).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association  (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

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How to Cite Translated Works in APA Style

• Feb 18, 2023
• Academic Editing
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Let’s talk about APA references ! You may feel confident citing straightforward sources – but what do you do if you come across something that’s not as common? 

If you’re conducting research or editing an academic text , you may come across a work that’s been translated from a different language. It’s important to know how to cite these sources correctly, both in the text and on the reference page. Keep reading to learn more about how to cite translated works in APA style.

How to Cite Translated Works on a Reference Page

First things first – when you’re dealing with a translated work, create the reference list entry in the language you’re writing/editing in. For example, if a source has been translated from Spanish to English and you’re writing the paper in English, write the reference list entry in English as well.

In the entry, you should give credit to the translator or translators by including their name/s followed by the abbreviation “Trans.”. Include the phrase “Original work published [year of the original publication]” in parentheses at the end of the reference. 

These standards apply to all translated works, such as journal articles, books, and poems. To get an idea of what this looks like in practice, let’s take a look at a few examples:

A book: Smith, J. (1997). The psychology of pizza (L. Cooke, Trans.). American Psychological Association. (Original work published 1980)

A chapter in an edited book: Smith, J. (1997). What’s the best pizza topping? (J. Doe, Trans.). In L. Jones (Ed.), An in-depth study of pizza (pp. 2–15). American Psychological Association. (Original work published 1980)

A journal article: Smith, J. (1997). A study of the psychology of pizza (J. Doe & K. Moe, Trans.). The Restaurant Journal , 18 (1), 2–10. https://doi.org/10.1139/030271325 (Original work published 1980)

How to Cite a Work With the Same Editor and Translator

When the editor is also the translator of a work, include their name and roles in parentheses after the title. For example:

Smith, J. (1997). The psychology of pizza (J. Doe, Ed. & Trans.). American Psychological Association. (Original work published 1980)

In-Text Citations

For in-text citations, cite the work as you usually would but include both the original publication date and the date of the republished translation. Be sure to cite the earlier year first and use a slash to separate the years. For example:

Parenthetical citation: “Pepperoni is the superior pizza topping” (Smith, 1980/1997).

Narrative citation: Smith (1980/1997) argues that pepperoni is the superior pizza topping.

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APA Citation Style, Seventh Edition: Translations

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• Include the name of the translator, followed by "Trans.", in parentheses after the book's title.
• For in-text citations, include the publication year of the original work and the publication year of the translation.

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Citing a Translated Book

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Good books come in all sizes, colors, lengths, and languages! Oftentimes, popular texts are translated into many languages, connecting authors with readers who don’t share the same native tongue. For example, the French children’s book “ Le Petit Prince,” or “The Little Prince,” by Antoine Saint Exupéry has been translated into 300 languages !

Translations are great in the sense that they make work available to more readers. But how do you cite a translated work?

Believe it or not, citing a translated source isn’t all that different than citing a work in its original language. There’s just one extra step required!

Here is some of the information you will want to locate before starting to create your citation:

• Author name(s)
• Translator name(s)
• Date published
• Publisher name/organization
• Place of publication

Below, we walk you through the process of citing a translated work in three common citation styles: MLA formatting , APA and Harvard. For each style, we’ve included a formula citation and a corresponding example for the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Formula for citing a translated source in MLA:

If you are trying to emphasize a particular translation, use the following format:

Translator Last Name, Translator first Name, translator. Book Title. By Author First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year Published.

Clarke, Alan, translator. The Alchemist. By Paulo Coelho, HarperCollins, 1993.

If you are trying to emphasize the work, and the translation is incidental, use the following format:

Author Last Name, First Name.  Book Title . Translated by Translator First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year Published.

Coelho, Paul.  The Alchemist . Translated by Alan Clarke, HarperCollins, 1993.

Formula for citing a translated source in APA:

Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year Published). Book title (Translator First Initial. Last Name, Trans.). City of Publication, State/Country: Publisher.

Coelho, P. (1993). The alchemist (A. Clarke, Trans.). New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Formula for citing a translated source in Harvard:

Author Last Name, First Initial., Year. Title of book . Translated by Translator First Initial Last Name. Place of publication: Publisher.

Coelho, P., 1993. The alchemist. Translated by A. Clarke. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

If you need additional help with this citation style, visit our Harvard referencing guide .

Did you know that Cite This For Me has more than just a citation generator for formats like APA, MLA, and Chicago Manual of Style ? We also have a blog and guides that can help you create an in-text citation , cite a mobile app , learn how to write an annotated bibliography , and other bibliographic tasks.

Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite a translated book in APA

To cite a translated book in a reference entry in APA style 6th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the book: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to seven authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For eight or more authors include the first six names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
• Year of publication: Give the year in brackets followed by a full stop.
• Title of the book: Book titles are italicized. Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalised.
• Translator(s) of the book: List translators by their initials and last name, followed by the abbreviation Trans..
• Place of publication: List the city and the US state using the two-letter abbreviation. Spell out country names if outside of the UK or the USA.
• Publisher: Give the name of the publisher but omit terms, such as Publishers, Co., and Inc. Retain the words Books and Press.
• Year of original publication: Give the year the work was first published.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a translated book in APA style 6th edition:

Author(s) of the book . ( Year of publication ). Title of the book ( Translator(s) of the book , Trans.). Place of publication : Publisher . (Original work published Year of original publication )

To cite a translated book in a reference entry in APA style 7th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the book: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to 20 authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For 21 or more authors include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a translated book in APA style 7th edition:

Author(s) of the book . ( Year of publication ). Title of the book ( Translator(s) of the book , Trans.). Publisher . (Original work published Year of original publication )

APA reference list examples

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the APA style guidelines for a translated book citation in action:

A book translated from French to English

Saint-Exupéry, A. d . ( 1970 ). The little prince ( K. Woods, Trans. ). San Diego, CA : Harcourt Brace & Co . ( Original work published 1943 )

Saint-Exupéry, A. d . ( 1970 ). The little prince ( K. Woods, Trans. ). Harcourt Brace & Co . ( Original work published 1943 )

A book translated from Spanish to English

García Márquez, G . ( 2003 ). One hundred years of solitude ( G. Rabassa, Trans. ). New York, NY : Harper . ( Original work published 1967 )

García Márquez, G . ( 2003 ). One hundred years of solitude ( G. Rabassa, Trans. ). Harper . ( Original work published 1967 )

This citation style guide is based on the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association ( 6 th edition).

More useful guides

• APA: Translated Works
• Citing Translated Sources in APA Style
• How do I cite or reference non-English or translated sources in APA Style?

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / How to Cite Sources / How to Cite a Translated Article in APA, MLA or Chicago

How to Cite a Translated Article in APA, MLA or Chicago

When writing a paper, you may need to cite an article that has been translated into English from another language. For most citation styles, you will begin the citation with the original author’s name and include the translator information later in the citation. In-text citations will typically use the original author’s name. This guide will show you how to cite a translated journal article in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.

When citing a translated article in MLA style, you will start the citation with the original author’s name, and then include the translator’s name after the title of the article. The rest of the citation will follow the typical format for citing an article in MLA style. The in-text citation should use the original author’s name.

Works cited list entry structure:

Author Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Translated by Translator First Name Last Name.  Journal/Publication Title , vol. #, no. #, publication date, page number(s).  Database Name (if applicable), URL or DOI.

Works cited list entry example:

Barriera, Darío. “Governing the Countryside: Microsocial Analysis and Institutional Construction in Late Eighteenth-Century Río De La Plata.” Translated by Monica Biberson. Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales , vol. 73, no. 1, 2018, pp. 55–80.  Cambridge Core , https://doi.org/10.1017/ahsse.2020.11.

In-text citation structure:

(Author Last Name Page Number)

In-text citation example:

(Barriera 71)

Similar to MLA style, in APA style, you will begin your citation with the author’s name, and then include the translator information in parentheses after the article title. The rest of the citation will follow the normal article format. The in-text citation should use the original author’s name.

Reference list entry structure:

Author Last Name, First Name. (Publication Year). Article title (Translator First Initial Last Name, Trans.). Journal/Publication Title , volume number (issue number), page number(s). URL or DOI

Reference list entry example:

Barriera, Darío. (2018). Governing the countryside: Microsocial analysis and institutional construction in late eighteenth-century Río De La Plata (M. Biberson, Trans.). Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales , 73 (1), 55–80. https://doi.org/10.1017/ahsse.2020.11

(Author Last Name, Publication Year)

(Barriera, 2018)

In both Chicago styles (notes-bibliography and author-date), the translator information is included after the article title in the bibliography entries and notes, and the rest of the citation will continue as normal. Author-date style in-text citations should use the original author’s name.

Notes-Bibliography Style

Bibliography entry structure: 

Author Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Translated by Translator First Name Last Name. Journal/Publication Title  volume number, no. # (Publication Year): page number(s). URL/Database or DOI.

Bibliography entry example:

Barriera, Darío. “Governing the Countryside: Microsocial Analysis and Institutional Construction in Late Eighteenth-Century Río De La Plata.” Translated by Monica Biberson. Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales 73, no. 1 (2018): 55–80. https://doi.org/10.1017/ahsse.2020.11.

Note structure:

1. Arthur First Name Last Name, “Article Title,” trans. Translator First Name Last Name, Journal/Publication Title  volume number, no. # (Publication Year): page number(s), URL/Database or DOI.

Note example:

1. Darío Barriera, “Governing the Countryside: Microsocial Analysis and Institutional Construction in Late Eighteenth-Century Río De La Plata,” trans. Monica Biberson. Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales 73, no. 1 (2018): 55–80, https://doi.org/10.1017/ahsse.2020.11.

Author-Date Style:

Bibliography entry structure:

Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. “Article Title.” Translated by Translator First Name Last Name. Journal/Publication Title  volume number(issue number): page number(s). URL/Database or DOI.

Barriera, Darío. 2018. “Governing the Countryside: Microsocial Analysis and Institutional Construction in Late Eighteenth-Century Río De La Plata.” Translated by Monica Biberson. Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales 73 (1): 55–80. https://doi.org/10.1017/ahsse.2020.11.

(Author Last Name Publication Year, Page Number)

(Barriera 2018, 71)

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