MLA Format: Translated Works

The Center for Writing Studies, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

When a work has been translated, typical bibliographic entries will appear as follows:

Bourdieu, Pierre. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Trans. Richard Nice. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1977.

Deleuze, Giles. Foucault. Trans. and Ed. Sean Hand. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1986.

Macaroni, Elbow. Firm Pasta Tips. Trans. A.P. Spaghetti. Ed. Basil Pesto. Milan: Al Dente Press, 1934.

In general, if you reference an author's work directly, the author's name should appear first in the entry. "Trans.", followed by the translator's name, should appear after the title of the work (and should be listed as it appears on the title page). If the translator also edited the work, both "Trans. and Ed." should precede his or her name. If a person other than the translator edited the work, the title of the text should be followed by: "Trans." with the translator's name, a period, and then "Ed." with the editor's name and a period. Finish the entry by including the publication information.

If you mainly reference the specific comments and work of the translator, then the translator's name (last name, first) should appear first, followed by a comma, the word "trans.," and a period. The author's name (in normal order), preceded by "By", should appear after the text's title. In this case, a typical entry will appear as follows:

Nice, Richard, trans. Outline of a Theory of Practice. By Pierre Bourdieu. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1977.

For additional information, please see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition) and the MLA style website.