If a work was originally published in an unknown language, you may only be able to read it using a later translation. When referencing a translated book in a research paper or report, you will generally need to include the original author and translator in the citation. The format for doing this varies depending on whether you are using MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), or the Chicago style.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: MLA
Step 1. Start with either the author or the translator
If you are using the text of the book, put the original author first. If you are going to study the skills and techniques of the translator, put the translator first. Write the last name, then the comma, then the first name. Put a period after the name.
- Example of the original author: Dostoevsky, Fyodor.
- Translator example: Pevear, Richard and Larissa Volokhonsky, translators.
Step 2. Italicize the title of the book
After the name, put the translated title of the book and the subtitle. Use capital initials in nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. Put a period after the title.
- Original author example: Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Karamazov Brothers.
- Translator example: Pevear, Richard and Larissa Volokhonsky, translators. The Karamazov Brothers.
Step 3. Add the name that you did not enter first
After the title, put the name of the translator if you started the citation with the name of the original author. If you put the name of the translator first, put the name of the original author. Put a comma after the name.
- Original author example: Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Karamazov Brothers. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky,
- Translator example: Pevear, Richard and Larissa Volokhonsky, translators. The Karamazov Brothers. By Fyodor Dostoevsky,
Step 4. Conclude with information from the publisher
After the comma, write the name of the publisher of the translation. Place a comma after the publisher's name, then write the year the translation was published. Place a period to close the quote.
- Original author example: Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Karamazov Brothers. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002.
- Translator example: Pevear, Richard and Larissa Volokhonsky, translators. The Karamazov Brothers. From Fyodor Dostoevsky, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002.
Step 5. Use the name you put first in the citation in parentheses
The in-text citation is intended to direct the author to the full citation in the "Works Cited". If you put the translator first, the parentheses should have the translator's name along with the page number for the material you are citing. If you put the original name of the author first in the "Works Cited" entry, use their name in the citation in parentheses as well.
- Original author example: (Dostoevsky 112)
- Translator example: (Pevear and Volokhonsky 112)
Method 2 of 3: APA
Step 1. Start with the name of the original author
Enter the original author's last name, then a comma, and finally the author's initial. If the middle initial appears, you can include it, but it's not necessary. The period after the initial also works, since it closes the part of the quote.
Example: Dostoevsky, F
Step 2. Add the year of publication of the translation
For the first year of publication, you must enter the year the book you read was published. Put the year in parentheses after the original author's name. Place a period after the closing parenthesis.
Example: Dostoevsky, F. (2002)
Step 3. Italicize the title of the book
After the year of publication, enter the title of the book using lowercase. Only capitalize the first word of the title and the proper pronouns. If the book has a subtitle, put a colon at the end of the title and then add the subtitle. Again, capitalize the first word of the subtitle and proper pronouns.
Example: Dostoevsky, F. (2002). The Brothers Karamazov
Step 4. Put the translator's name in parentheses
After the title, leave a space and then put the initial of the translator's first and last name in parentheses. The name of the translator must not be capitalized. Place a period outside the closing parenthesis.
Example: Dostoevsky, F. (2002). The Karamazov Brothers (R. Pevear & L. Volokhonsky, Translators)
Step 5. Enter the publisher information
Follow the names of the translators with the city where the book was published. Place a colon after the city name, then write the publisher's name. Place a period after the publisher's name.
Example: Dostoevsky, F. (2002). The Karamazov Brothers (R. Pevear & L. Volokhonsky, Trans.). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Step 6. Put the date of the original post at the end of the quote
You should locate the original publication date on the back of the title page with the copyright information. In parentheses, place the phrase "Original published work" with the year.
Example: Dostoevsky, F. (2002). The Karamazov Brothers (R. Pevear & L. Volokhonsky, Trans.). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (Original work published in 1879)
Step 7. Put both years of publication in a citation in parentheses
APA in-text citations use the author's last name and publication date. For translated books, include the original year of publication first, then put a forward slash and enter the year the translation was published.
- Example: (Dostoevsky, 1879/2002)
- If you include a direct citation, the citation in parentheses must also include a page number. For example: (Dostoevsky, 1879/2002, p. 144)
Method 3 of 3: Chicago Style
Step 1. Begin the bibliographic entry with the name of the original author
Write the original author's last name first, then a comma, and then their first name. Place a period after the first name of the original author.
Example: Dostoevsky, Fyodor
Step 2. Italicize the title of the book
After the name of the original author, put the title of the book with capital initials. Generally, this means capitalizing all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. Put a period at the end of the title.
Example: Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Karamazov Brothers
Step 3. Position the translator for the edition you read
After the title of the book, put the phrase "Translated by" and then put the name of the translator, writing his first name followed by the last name. Put a period at the end of the translator's name.
Example: Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Karamazov Brothers. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Step 4. Close the appointment with the publisher's information
Write the city where the book was published, then a colon. Follow the colon with the name of the publisher. Put a comma after the publisher's name, then write the year the translated edition was published. Close the appointment with a period.
Example: Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Karamazov Brothers. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2002
Step 5. Change the format to footnotes in the text
In footnotes, the author's name appears first with the first name. Also, commas are generally used to separate parts of the quote instead of periods. The publication information is placed in parentheses, the specific page number to which the footnote refers is placed after the publication information.