# How to quote a foreign language source in APA, MLA and Chicago

**How do I quote a source written in another language, and do I give the original, a translation or both?** To quote a foreign language source, quote a published English translation when one exists and cite that translation. When the original wording matters, quote the original and give the English straight after it: MLA puts it in parentheses, Chicago in parentheses or a following block, and APA treats a translation you made as a paraphrase. A whole quotation in another language is not italicised.

Published 2026-09-26 by EdCitation. https://edcitation.com/newsletter/quoting-a-source-in-another-language

EdCitation publishes this guide to quoting a foreign language source; its tools look each reference up in the publisher's record and never write one. The short answer: if a published English translation exists, quote it and cite it. If the original's wording is the point, quote the original and put the English beside it. The styles differ on where that English goes, on italics and on long passages.

This guide covers the words in your sentence. The reference entry is in [citing a non-English source](https://edcitation.com/newsletter/citing-a-non-english-source), and "my trans." in [citing your own translation of a quotation](https://edcitation.com/newsletter/citing-your-own-translation-of-a-quotation). We read each rule at its publisher on 26 September 2026, APA Style and *Citing Medicine* in archived copies because both put up bot checks; the *MLA Handbook*, Chicago's chapter 11 and *Cite Them Right* are sold, and we say where their free pages stop. We ran EdCitation's free [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite) and [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references) on real translations and quote what came back.

## Should you quote the original, a translation, or both?

Quote the version your argument rests on, and give your reader English they can check.

### When a published translation exists

Quote the translation and cite the translated edition. Adams (2022), for APA Style, says a quotation from someone else's published translation takes quotation marks like any quotation, because readers can retrieve that translation. MLA agrees: cite the translation you reproduce (Modern Language Association, 2025).

### When the original's wording is the point

Quote the original, then the English. A poem's line, a philosopher's coined term, a statute's exact phrasing: a translation alone would hide what you are discussing. MLA requires a translation of any quoted passage unless the paper is written for readers of that language (Modern Language Association, 2025).

### When you are writing about the ideas

Paraphrase. In APA, a passage you translate yourself is a paraphrase, not a quotation (Adams, 2022); [paraphrasing, quoting or summarising](https://edcitation.com/newsletter/paraphrase-quote-or-summarise) explains the choice.

## Where do the original and the translation go in each style?

The original sits in your sentence in quotation marks and the English follows it; each style places the English differently. The examples use Descartes's *Discours de la méthode*, part 4, in Victor Cousin's edition (Descartes, 2004), and John Veitch's published English (Descartes, 1993).

### APA 7

APA quotes an original like any other quotation. Adams (2022) shows a French passage in quotation marks with author, year and page, followed by the writer's English as an unquoted paraphrase. A published translation takes both years, original first (Adams, 2021):

> Descartes called "je pense, donc je suis" his first principle (Descartes, 1637/2004, Part 4).

> Veitch renders it "I think, therefore I am" (Descartes, 1637/1993, Part 4).

The ebooks have no page numbers, so the part stands in for them.

### MLA 9

MLA gives the original, then the English inside the parentheses, then the location, in its ninth-edition example (Modern Language Association, 2025). With a published translation, an answer written for the eighth edition gives two locations, the original's first, and lists both editions in the works cited (Modern Language Association, 2020):

> Descartes called "je pense, donc je suis" ("I think, therefore I am"; pt. 4; pt. 4) his first principle.

That eighth-edition answer set the translation in single quotation marks without parentheses; the ninth-edition post uses parentheses. Follow the ninth.

### Chicago 18 author-date

Chicago puts the English where your readers need it. Its Q&A, answered under the 18th edition, allows a short translation in parentheses, a block of translation after a long block quotation, or the translation in a footnote (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-d). The citation stays in parentheses:

> Descartes called "je pense, donc je suis" ("I think, therefore I am") his first principle (Descartes 2004, pt. 4; 1993, pt. 4).

Chapter 11 has sections called "Translations relative to quotations" and "Source of quotation plus translation" (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-a), behind a subscription we do not have. EdCitation builds Chicago's author-date system only.

### Harvard (Cite Them Right)

*Cite Them Right* sets quotations of up to three lines in single quotation marks and indents longer ones, and references a published translation with "Translated by" (University of Westminster, 2026). Where the English goes beside an original is not in any page we could read: ask your module leader.

### IEEE and Vancouver

Neither has a rule. The IEEE manual says only that direct quotes take quotation marks in roman type (IEEE, 2024). *Citing Medicine* covers the reference list and says nothing on quotations (Patrias, 2007). Quote the English and name its translator in your sentence.

## Do you italicise foreign words and quotations?

Italicise a lone unfamiliar foreign word; never a whole quotation in another language, nor a word the dictionary already lists.

- **APA** italicises the first use of a term from another language that readers may not know, as in its *mon petit chou*; terms in the dictionary, such as a priori and per se, stay roman (American Psychological Association, 2022b). That is the "foreign words italics APA" rule, Section 6.22.
- **MLA** italicises foreign words, except quotations entirely in another language, proper nouns and words English has absorbed, such as "raison d'être" (Modern Language Association, 2018a).
- **Chicago** sets unfamiliar words from other languages in italics (7.55) and familiar ones in roman (7.56) (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-b). Italics, its Q&A says, stop a word being misread as an unknown English one, and an isolated term is likelier to need them (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-c).

### Keep the source's own italics and spelling

Copy a quotation exactly. MLA assumes italics in a quotation are the source's own (Modern Language Association, 2018b); Cousin's edition prints *je pense, donc je suis* in italics, and spells "étoit", the old form of "était". Keep both. Chicago says never to change a spelling inside a quotation, and to add the familiar form in square brackets if readers need it (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-e). A change you must make to fit your sentence goes in the quotation's language, as in MLA's "siempre [supo]" (Modern Language Association, 2023).

## How do you format a block quotation in another language?

Use the style's usual rule for long quotations, then place the translation after the block.

- **APA**: 40 words or more, an indented block without quotation marks (American Psychological Association, 2022a).
- **MLA**: an original of four lines or fewer stays in your text with its translation, even if together they run longer (Modern Language Association, 2021). That answer predates the ninth edition, whose rule for longer originals we could not read.
- **Chicago**: a block, then a block of translation.
- **Harvard**: more than three lines, indented.

No free page says whether the original or the translation sets the length. MLA measures the original, and in our view that suits any style.

## How do you quote from a published translation instead of the original?

Quote exactly what the translation prints, and cite the translation, because it is a different text. Where Descartes's French reads "je pense, donc je suis", Veitch prints "I think, therefore I am (COGITO ERGO SUM)", adding Latin the French passage does not contain (Descartes, 1993). If your point is Descartes's own words, quote the French; if it is the idea, quote Veitch and cite Veitch.

> Tolstoy's novel opens, "Happy families are all alike" (Tolstoy, 1878/1998, Part 1, Chapter 1).

That is Constance Garnett's translation. Name the translator at first mention: other translators word the line differently, and the reader needs the one you used.

## How do you quote a passage in Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese or another script?

Give the original script, then a romanised form if your readers need it, then the English. The free style pages speak only of titles: MLA orders a title's original characters, then its transliteration, then its translation (Modern Language Association, 2017), and does not italicise a title in a non-Latin script (Modern Language Association, 2018c). Chicago's sections on Russian, Arabic, Hebrew and East Asian languages are behind its subscription. Applying MLA's order to a quotation is our reading:

> Tolstoy's novel opens, "Все счастливые семьи похожи друг на друга" (Vse schastlivye semʹi pokhozhi drug na druga), which Garnett gives as "Happy families are all alike."

The Russian is Wikisource's text of the 1970 Nauka edition, page 7 (Tolstoy, n.d.), romanised by the ALA-LC table; cite both editions. For choosing a system, see [transliteration and romanisation in references](https://edcitation.com/newsletter/transliteration-and-romanisation-in-references).

## How do the six styles compare?

Three styles publish rules for quoting in another language; three leave it to you.

| Style | Where the English goes | Italics | Long passage | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| APA 7 | Your own: a paraphrase; published: quoted, both years | Unfamiliar terms, first use | 40 words, a block | APA Style pages and blog |
| MLA 9 | In the parentheses, with the location | Foreign words, not whole quotations | Original of four lines or fewer stays in the text | MLA Style Center |
| Chicago 18 author-date | Parentheses, a following block, or a footnote | Unfamiliar italic, familiar roman | A block, then a translated block | Chicago Q&A and contents |
| Harvard (*Cite Them Right*) | Not in pages we could read | Not in pages we could read | Over three lines, indented | University of Westminster |
| IEEE | No rule | Quotes in roman | No rule | IEEE style manual |
| Vancouver | No rule | No rule | No rule | *Citing Medicine* |
| Any style | The edition you quoted, referenced by [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite) | Yours to check | Yours to check | EdCitation |

## How do you quote a source in another language, step by step?

1. Look for a published English translation, and decide whether your point needs the original's words.
2. Quote your chosen version exactly, with its spelling, accents and italics.
3. Add the English after an original: in parentheses in MLA, in parentheses or a block in Chicago, as a paraphrase in APA.
4. Italicise a lone unfamiliar word, never a whole quotation.
5. Give the location in each edition you quote.
6. Build each edition's reference in [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite) from its DOI or ISBN, adding the translator and original year if missing.
7. Paste the list into [Verify references](https://edcitation.com/verify-references) and check anything flagged against the title page.

## What does EdCitation build for the edition you quoted?

For the reference, EdCitation is the best tool because it takes the entry from the publisher's or library's record instead of composing one as a chatbot does, and the runs below show where that record needs your eye. [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite) builds it from a DOI, ISBN, title, PubMed ID or web address in all six styles, screens for retraction, and is free without an account. EdCitation never translates a passage and never writes any part of a student's paper.

### What Cite a source returned

- **ISBN 9780143035008** (Pevear and Volokhonsky): "Tolstoy, L. (2004). Anna Karenina. Penguin." The translators, named in Open Library's record, were missing: add "(R. Pevear & L. Volokhonsky, Trans.)" and "(Original work published 1878)". Garnett's Modern Library edition, ISBN 9780679783305, gave "Tolstoy, L. (2000). Anna Karenina. Modern Library."
- **ISBN 9780872204225**: "Descartes, R. (1998). Discourse on the method for conducting one’s reason well and for seeking truth in the sciences (3rd ed.). Hackett Pub. Co." Add "(D. A. Cress, Trans.)" and "(Original work published 1637)".
- **ISBN 9782080710918**: "Descartes, R. (2000). Discours de la méthode. Flammarion." Add the bracketed English title.
- **DOI 10.1159/000271225**: "Piaget, J. (2009). Intellectual Evolution from Adolescence to Adulthood. Human Development, 1–12." The publisher's page gives volume 15, issue 1, 1972, and APA's example of this article adds its translators and original year (Piaget, 1972).

### What Verify references returned

We pasted five correct APA entries. The Cress translation was verified: "Title, author, edition and year match a library catalogue record." So was the Russian article (DOI 10.12737/1998-1740-2024-12-4-10-15), its title romanised as APA advises with the English in brackets: "The DOI resolves to this record and the title matches." Three came back "check this":

- Flammarion: "A record with this title exists, but it is by someone else and from 2003, so it may be a different work. Check your source." Open Library holds the 2000 edition under its ISBN.
- Pevear and Volokhonsky: "A book with this title and author is catalogued, but no edition from 2004 is recorded." Open Library dates it 31 May 2004.
- Piaget: "The DOI and title are right, but the work was published in 2009, not 1972." The 2009 date is when the record went online.

"Check this" asks you to look again; nothing came back "not found". Both tools are free; [References from a file](https://edcitation.com/tools/references-from-a-file), in Pro at $8 a month, checks an uploaded paper and matches every citation to its entry.

## Quick questions

### Do I italicise a quotation in another language?

No. MLA leaves whole quotations in another language in roman type, and APA and Chicago keep italics for single unfamiliar words. Keep italics the source prints.

### Can I quote only the original, without a translation?

Only for readers of that language. MLA requires a translation otherwise, and Chicago decides by your audience.

### Where does the translation go in MLA?

Inside the parentheses after the original, in quotation marks, before the location; a published translation adds its own location.

### Should I quote a published translation or translate it myself?

Quote a published translation when one exists, and cite it. Your own translation counts as a paraphrase in APA.

### Can EdCitation translate a quotation?

No. EdCitation never translates or writes any part of a paper; [Cite a source](https://edcitation.com/cite) builds the reference for the edition you quoted, free.

## References

- Adams, A. (2021, July 19). How to cite translated works. *APA Style*. [https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/citing-translated-works](https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/citing-translated-works)
- Adams, A. (2022, November 21). How to cite your own translations. *APA Style*. [https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/cite-your-own-translations](https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/cite-your-own-translations)
- American Psychological Association. (2022a). *Quotations*. APA Style. [https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/quotations](https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/quotations)
- American Psychological Association. (2022b). *Use of italics*. APA Style. [https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/italics-quotations/italics](https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/italics-quotations/italics)
- Descartes, R. (1993). *Discourse on the method of rightly conducting one's reason and of seeking truth in the sciences* (J. Veitch, Trans.). Project Gutenberg. [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59) (Original work published 1637)
- Descartes, R. (2004). *Discours de la méthode* [Discourse on the method] (V. Cousin, Ed.). Project Gutenberg. [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13846](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13846) (Original work published 1637)
- IEEE. (2024). *IEEE editorial style manual for authors*. [https://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/IEEE-Editorial-Style-Manual-for-Authors.pdf](https://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/IEEE-Editorial-Style-Manual-for-Authors.pdf)
- Modern Language Association. (2017, February 8). *When translating from a language that does not use roman characters, like Chinese, do I include the original characters or a transliteration?* MLA Style Center. [https://style.mla.org/nonroman-characters/](https://style.mla.org/nonroman-characters/)
- Modern Language Association. (2018a, July 31). *How should I treat foreign terms in MLA style?* MLA Style Center. [https://style.mla.org/styling-foreign-terms/](https://style.mla.org/styling-foreign-terms/)
- Modern Language Association. (2018b, August 28). *When I am quoting, do I need to indicate if italics are in the original?* MLA Style Center. [https://style.mla.org/italics-in-original/](https://style.mla.org/italics-in-original/)
- Modern Language Association. (2018c, September 19). *Should I italicize titles not written in the Latin alphabet?* MLA Style Center. [https://style.mla.org/italics-titles-not-latin-alphabet/](https://style.mla.org/italics-titles-not-latin-alphabet/)
- Modern Language Association. (2020, May 6). *How do I quote English-language sources in a foreign-language paper?* MLA Style Center. [https://style.mla.org/english-language-quotations/](https://style.mla.org/english-language-quotations/)
- Modern Language Association. (2021, January 21). *If a foreign language quotation and its translation run longer than four lines in my paper when combined, should I style each quotation as a block quotation?* MLA Style Center. [https://style.mla.org/quotations-and-translations/](https://style.mla.org/quotations-and-translations/)
- Modern Language Association. (2023, December 27). *When altering a quotation in a language other than English, should the alteration be in the language of the quotation?* MLA Style Center. [https://style.mla.org/altering-quotations-in-another-language/](https://style.mla.org/altering-quotations-in-another-language/)
- Modern Language Association. (2025, December 31). *When must I indicate that a translation is my own?* MLA Style Center. [https://style.mla.org/when-to-use-my-trans/](https://style.mla.org/when-to-use-my-trans/)
- Patrias, K. (2007). *Citing medicine: The NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers* (D. L. Wendling, Tech. Ed.; 2nd ed.), chapter 1, Journals. National Library of Medicine. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7282/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7282/)
- Piaget, J. (1972). Intellectual evolution from adolescence to adulthood (J. Bliss & H. Furth, Trans.). *Human Development, 15*(1), 1–12. [https://doi.org/10.1159/000271225](https://doi.org/10.1159/000271225) (Original work published 1970)
- Tolstoy, L. (1998). *Anna Karenina* (C. Garnett, Trans.). Project Gutenberg. [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1399](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1399) (Original work published 1878)
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