To write non-English sources for a publication, you generally must include the author, publication date, the original foreign-language title, and an English translation of that title enclosed in square brackets. Providing both the original title and the translation ensures your readers can track down the exact source while still understanding its relevance to your literature review.
Formatting Non-English Citations by Style Guide
Different academic disciplines follow slightly different rules for referencing foreign literature. Here is how the major citation styles handle it:
- APA Style: Write the original title in its native language (italicized for books, regular font for articles), followed immediately by the English translation in square brackets. Do not italicize the translated text inside the brackets.
- Example format: Author, A. A. (Year). Original title of book [Translated title of book]. Publisher.
- MLA Style: MLA requires the original title, and while providing a translation is technically optional, it is highly recommended for clarity. Place the English translation in square brackets directly after the original title.
- Chicago Style: Similar to APA, Chicago style recommends listing the original title first, followed by the English translation in brackets. Only the original title receives italics or quotation marks based on the source type.
Handling Non-Latin Alphabets
If your source is published in a non-Latin script—such as Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, or Russian—you usually cannot just paste the original characters into an English reference list. You first need to transliterate the author's name and the publication title into the standard Latin alphabet (a process called Romanization). Once transliterated, you apply the standard rule: provide the transliterated title, followed by the English translation in brackets.
Best Practices for Using Foreign Research
When expanding your literature search globally, accurately understanding the source material is just as important as formatting the citation. Misinterpreting a methodology or conclusion can compromise your own research integrity. If you are dealing with a language barrier, WisPaper's AI Copilot translates full papers instantly, allowing you to easily read and comprehend foreign papers before integrating their findings into your work.
Additionally, when providing the translated title for your reference list, aim for an accurate academic translation rather than a rigid, word-for-word literal translation. If the foreign journal provides an official English title in its table of contents or abstract, always use that official translation instead of creating your own.
