EdCitation publishes this guide to citing a translated article or chapter, and its tools take every reference from the publisher's record rather than writing one. One rule settles most cases in every style: the translator's name goes next to the title of what they translated. A translator of one article or chapter follows its title; a translator of the whole anthology follows the book's. The original date is the other question, and the styles answer it differently.
We read each rule at the style's publisher on 26 and 27 September 2026 (APA Style in an archived copy, as its site answered with a bot check) and Harvard at named university guides. We gave EdCitation's free Cite a source the DOIs of translated articles and a translated chapter, and quote what came back, faults included. Translated books have a guide of their own.
What does a reference for a translated article or chapter need?
An ordinary article or chapter reference, the translator's name in the right place, and, in some styles, the year the original appeared.
Did they translate the piece or the whole volume?
Asked about one chapter translated from Korean in a book with many translators, the Chicago Manual's editors put the translator after the chapter title, so no reader thinks they translated the whole book (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-c). For a Freud essay in a volume James Strachey translated throughout, they move his name after the volume's title (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-b). MLA draws the same line: a translator of one piece sits after that piece's title (Modern Language Association, 2021), and the translator of a whole collection after the collection's title (Modern Language Association, 2018).
Where to find the translator and the original
On the article's first page, usually in the first note, or on the acknowledgements page of an edited book. The Diacritics printing of Foucault's "Of Other Spaces" names its translator, Jay Miskowiec, and the French text it came from; foucault.info dates that text to a 1967 lecture published in Architecture, Mouvement, Continuité in 1984 (Foucault, n.d.).
How do you cite a translated journal article in APA 7?
Put the translator in parentheses after the article title with "Trans.", give the year of the translation you read, and end with "(Original work published …)". APA's own example is a Piaget article translated by J. Bliss and H. Furth, cited as (Piaget, 1970/1972) (Adams, 2021). Built the same way:
Foucault, M. (1986). Of other spaces (J. Miskowiec, Trans.). Diacritics, 16(1), 22–27. https://doi.org/10.2307/464648 (Original work published 1984)
Cite it as (Foucault, 1984/1986), the earlier year first. The DOI comes before the original date, as in APA's example. A piece translated for its first publication, never printed in its own language, has no original year to add.
In MLA 9
"Translated by" and the full name follow the article's title, before the journal. MLA shows that position for one translated piece inside a larger container, in a post written for the eighth edition (Modern Language Association, 2021):
Foucault, Michel. "Of Other Spaces." Translated by Jay Miskowiec. Diacritics, vol. 16, no. 1, 1986, pp. 22–27, https://doi.org/10.2307/464648.
The citation in the text is (Foucault 24): MLA uses no year.
Translated journals
Some journals are translations of another journal, issue by issue. Theoretical and Mathematical Physics publishes English versions of articles from the Russian Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, and Crossref's record of Tsiganov's 2018 article links it to the Russian original. Cite the journal you read, with its own volume and pages: the English runs to pages 1806–1822, the Russian to 475–492. No translator is named in the record, so none goes in the entry. IEEE's reference guide shows the older pattern of citing an original and adding "(Transl.: …)" with the translation's details, in its Lavrova example (IEEE, 2025).
How do you cite a translated chapter in an edited book?
Under the chapter's author, with the translator after the chapter title and the editors with the book. Derrida's "How to Avoid Speaking: Denials" shows why the difference matters: Ken Frieden translated that essay only, and the book, edited by Harold Coward and Toby Foshay, gathers chapters by several other authors (State University of New York Press, n.d.).
In APA 7, following APA's Heidegger example (Adams, 2021):
Derrida, J. (1992). How to avoid speaking: Denials (K. Frieden, Trans.). In H. Coward & T. Foshay (Eds.), Derrida and negative theology (pp. 73–142). State University of New York Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.18252275.7
The entry still needs its original date. SUNY Press says the essay is "reprinted" here, and the Stanford Encyclopedia's bibliography lists Frieden's translation in Languages of the Unsayable in 1989 (Lawlor, 2021). APA wants the year of the French text, which we could not confirm at a source we could read: take it from the book's acknowledgements page.
In MLA 9, the translator follows the chapter title and the editors follow the book:
Derrida, Jacques. "How to Avoid Speaking: Denials." Translated by Ken Frieden. Derrida and Negative Theology, edited by Harold Coward and Toby Foshay, State U of New York P, 1992, pp. 73–142.
How do you cite a classic essay in a translated anthology?
When one person translated the whole collection, their name goes with the book, not the essay. MLA's own example is Benjamin's "One-Way Street" from Reflections, a collection edited by Peter Demetz and translated by Edmund Jephcott; "by Benjamin" after the book's title tells the reader every piece in it is his (Modern Language Association, 2018):
Benjamin, Walter. "One-Way Street (Selection)." Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical Writing, by Benjamin, edited by Peter Demetz, translated by Edmund Jephcott, Schocken Books, 1978, pp. 61–94.
APA's one translated chapter example puts the translator after the chapter title, so the same essay reads:
Benjamin, W. (1978). One-way street (selection) (E. Jephcott, Trans.). In P. Demetz (Ed.), Reflections: Essays, aphorisms, autobiographical writing (pp. 61–94). Schocken Books. (Original work published 1928)
Einbahnstraße came out with Rowohlt in 1928 (Blum, 2016), so the citation is (Benjamin, 1928/1978). Freud in a collected edition or Foucault in a reader works the same way.
How do Chicago, Harvard, IEEE and Vancouver name the translator?
Each puts the translator after a title; only Chicago answers the single-chapter case. Where we adapted a pattern, we say so.
Chicago author-date
"Translated by" and the full name after the article or chapter title, as a sentence of its own. Chicago's Q&A gives the chapter case as a note; set as an author-date reference, without the page range the 18th edition no longer requires for a chapter (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-a), it becomes:
Derrida, Jacques. 1992. "How to Avoid Speaking: Denials." Translated by Ken Frieden. In Derrida and Negative Theology, edited by Harold Coward and Toby Foshay. State University of New York Press.
EdCitation builds Chicago's author-date system only. For the original year in brackets, see the translated book guide.
Harvard
Robert Gordon University's Cite Them Right template for a whole book puts "Translated from [language] by" after the title (Robert Gordon University, 2026b); its chapter and journal article templates have no slot for a translator (Robert Gordon University, 2026a). The University of Westminster (2026) shows no translated chapter either. Our adaptation joins the two templates:
Foucault, M. (1986) 'Of other spaces', translated from French by J. Miskowiec, Diacritics, 16(1), pp. 22–27. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/464648.
Follow your module handbook if it shows another form.
IEEE
IEEE's guide puts "trans." and the translator after the title of a translated book, and shows no translated article or single chapter (IEEE, 2025). Following that pattern:
[1] M. Foucault, "Of other spaces," trans. J. Miskowiec, Diacritics, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 22–27, 1986, doi: 10.2307/464648.
Vancouver
Citing Medicine names translators as secondary authors, after the title, followed by "translator" (Patrias, 2007b). Its chapter example puts a whole book's translator after the book title and adds an optional note, "Translation of:" and the original title. Its journal template has no translator element (Patrias, 2007a), so we borrow the book form:
- Foucault M. Of other spaces. Miskowiec J, translator. Diacritics. 1986;16(1):22-7. doi: 10.2307/464648.
What if you read the article in the original language?
Then it is not a translation: cite the original with the English title in square brackets, as citing a non-English source explains, and mark quotations you translate yourself as citing your own translation shows. Given the Russian DOI of Tsiganov's article, 10.4213/tmf9575, Cite a source returned "Tsiganov, A. V. (2018). О дискретизации гамильтоновых систем и теории пересечений [Discretization of Hamiltonian systems and intersection theory]. Теоретическая и математическая физика, 197(3), 475–492. https://doi.org/10.4213/tmf9575", the Russian title with its English translation in brackets, as APA asks.
How do the styles compare, case by case?
APA 7 and MLA 9 set side by side, with the source of each rule.
| Case | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Where the rule came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Translated journal article | Title (J. Miskowiec, Trans.). Journal… (Original work published 1984) | "Title." Translated by Jay Miskowiec. Journal… | APA's Piaget example; MLA's post on one translated piece |
| Journal translated issue by issue | The English journal's own volume and pages | The same | APA: reference what you read; Crossref's translation link |
| Chapter translated alone | (K. Frieden, Trans.) after the chapter title | Translated by Ken Frieden. after the chapter title | APA's Heidegger example; Chicago Q&A on a chapter translator |
| Whole anthology translated | (E. Jephcott, Trans.) after the chapter title | translated by Edmund Jephcott, after the book title | MLA's Benjamin example; Chicago Q&A on Freud |
| Original date | Always: (Foucault, 1984/1986) | Optional | APA's translated works post; our book guide for MLA |
| Read in the original | Original title [English title] | Original title [English Title] | Our non-English guide |
| Any case with a DOI | Built by Cite a source, free | The same | Our runs, 27 September 2026 |
How do you cite a translated article or chapter, step by step?
- Work out who translated what: the piece alone, or the whole volume.
- Paste the article's or chapter's DOI into EdCitation's Cite a source and choose your style.
- Read the author line: if the translator is there, take them out.
- Move the translator next to the title of what they translated, in your style's words.
- Add the original year where your style takes it, from the first note or the acknowledgements page.
- Check the page range against the first and last pages of your copy.
- Run the finished list through Verify references, free, so each entry is matched to its record.
What does Cite a source return for a translated article or chapter?
EdCitation is the right place to start because it reads the translator from the record the publisher registered; a chatbot asked for the same reference composes one, and cannot know who translated the copy you hold. Cite a source builds all six styles from a DOI, title, PubMed ID, ISBN or web address, screens for retraction, and needs no account and no payment. When the record names a translator, the entry now does too. EdCitation never writes any part of anyone's work: it looks each source up, and every sentence of the essay is yours.
A translated article: 10.1111/gequ.10207
APA came back in APA's own pattern: "Liska, V. (2014). A same other, another same: Walter Benjamin and Maurice Blanchot on translation (N. Shulman, Trans.). The German Quarterly, 87(2), 229–245. https://doi.org/10.1111/gequ.10207". MLA gave "…on Translation.” Translated by Naomi Shulman. The German Quarterly, vol. 87…", Harvard "…on Translation’, translated by N. Shulman, The German Quarterly, 87(2)…", and Chicago and Vancouver also put the translator after the title. IEEE left the translator out; add "trans. N. Shulman," after the title. The BibTeX and RIS exports carry no translator.
A translated chapter: 10.2307/jj.18252275.7
APA came back as the Derrida entry above, translator and editors in place; add the original year. Every other style but IEEE put Frieden after the chapter title, as in Chicago's "“How to Avoid Speaking: Denials.” Translated by Ken Frieden. In Derrida and Negative Theology, edited by Harold Coward and Toby Foshay." and Vancouver's "Denials. Frieden K, translator. In: Coward H, Foshay T, editors." IEEE left him out; add "trans. K. Frieden," after the chapter title.
When the record calls the translator an author
For 10.2307/464648, every style returned Miskowiec as Foucault's co-author, as in "Foucault, M., & Miskowiec, J. (1986). Of other spaces. Diacritics, 16(1), 22." The record files him as an author and holds only the first page; JSTOR's own cover sheet also lists him beside Foucault. Delete him from the author line, add him as translator, and complete the pages as 22–27.
APA's own example DOI, 10.1159/000271225, returned "Piaget, J. (2009). Intellectual evolution from adolescence to adulthood. Human Development, 1–12." Its record holds a 2009 online date and no volume, issue or translators: add 1972, 15(1), "(J. Bliss & H. Furth, Trans.)" and "(Original work published 1970)".
What Verify references returned
Of five finished APA entries, Foucault, Liska and Derrida came back verified: "The DOI resolves to this record and the title matches." Piaget came back "check this": "The DOI and title are right, but the work was published in 2009, not 1972." That is the record's online date; keep the printed year. Benjamin, with no DOI, was matched to Harvard's 2016 One-Way Street and flagged too; check it against your copy. Once the paper is written, References from a file (Pro, $8 a month) checks every entry and pairs every citation in the text with its reference.
Quick questions
Where does the translator go for a translated article in APA?
After the article's title and before the full stop: (J. Miskowiec, Trans.). The year of the original closes the entry, and every citation gives both years, (Foucault, 1984/1986).
How do I cite a translated essay in an anthology in MLA?
If the translator translated only that essay, write "Translated by" and their name after the essay's title. If they translated the whole anthology, write "translated by" after the anthology's title, with the editor.
Do I name the translator or the editor of an edited book?
Both, in different places. The editors go with the book's title; a translator of one chapter goes with that chapter's title, and a translator of the whole book with the book's.
Does a translated article need its original publication date?
In APA, yes, at the end and in every citation. MLA and Chicago allow it; Harvard guides differ; IEEE and Vancouver give only the translation's details.
Can EdCitation add the translator for me?
Often, yes: EdCitation's Cite a source names the translator whenever the publisher's record holds one, free. Check that each style put them beside the right title, then add the original year.
References
- Adams, A. (2021, July 19). How to cite translated works. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/citing-translated-works
- Blum, M. (2016, December 13). Always one more time: On Walter Benjamin's "One-Way Street" and "The Storyteller." Los Angeles Review of Books. https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/always-one-time-walter-benjamins-one-way-street-storyteller/
- Foucault, M. (n.d.). Des espaces autres. Hétérotopies [Of other spaces: Heterotopias]. Foucault.info. https://foucault.info/documents/heterotopia/foucault.heteroTopia.fr/
- IEEE. (2025). IEEE reference guide (Version 3.28.2025). https://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/IEEE_Reference_Guide.pdf
- Lawlor, L. (2021). Jacques Derrida. In The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/derrida/
- Modern Language Association. (2018, June 14). Can I create a works-cited-list entry for an essay, poem, or story in a collection by one author? MLA Style Center. https://style.mla.org/essay-poem-collection-one-author/
- Modern Language Association. (2021, February 9). How do I cite translated lyrics? MLA Style Center. https://style.mla.org/citing-translated-lyrics/
- Patrias, K. (2007a). Citing medicine: The NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers (D. L. Wendling, Tech. Ed.; 2nd ed.), chapter 1, Journals (updated 2018). National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7282/
- Patrias, K. (2007b). Citing medicine: The NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers (D. L. Wendling, Tech. Ed.; 2nd ed.), chapter 2, Books (updated 2015). National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7271/
- Robert Gordon University. (2026a, April 15). Chapter of edited books. Cite Them Right Harvard templates. https://library.rgu.ac.uk/harvard-referencing-templates/chapter-of-edited-books
- Robert Gordon University. (2026b, April 15). Whole books. Cite Them Right Harvard templates. https://library.rgu.ac.uk/harvard-referencing-templates/whole-books
- State University of New York Press. (n.d.). Derrida and negative theology. https://sunypress.edu/Books/D/Derrida-and-Negative-Theology
- University of Chicago Press. (n.d.-a). Author-date: Sample citations. The Chicago Manual of Style Online. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html
- University of Chicago Press. (n.d.-b). Citation, documentation of sources (Q&A No. 55). The Chicago Manual of Style Online. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Documentation/faq0055.html
- University of Chicago Press. (n.d.-c). Citation, documentation of sources (Q&A No. 58). The Chicago Manual of Style Online. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Documentation/faq0058.html
- University of Westminster. (2026, September 9). Harvard style. Referencing your sources. https://libguides.westminster.ac.uk/referencing/harvard