How do I reference a source written in another language? (APA)
Answer
You should check with your tutor before you reference something that is not written in English. If you want to reference something written in another language, you must speak the language yourself: you should not rely on automatic translators like Google Translate.
If your tutor has agreed that you can use the source, follow the guidance below.
Write the reference as normal in the original language. Then, provide an English translation of the title in square brackets, after the title and before the full stop.
If you are referencing something that has two titles (e.g. a journal article) you only need to translate the title of the specific source you are using (i.e. translate the article title, not the journal title).
If your source is written using a different alphabet to your assignment, you must transliterate it into the Latin alphabet. You can then follow the same guidance above, translating just the title into English.
More information can be found on the APA 6th edition blog. (Please note that, because this is from the 6th edition, you should not copy the specific referencing example they use. The principles of transliteration and translation still apply to the 7th edition though.)
Example 1 (A book written in German)
Villinger, R. (2018). Kant und die Imagination der Tiere [Kant and the imagination of animals]. Konstanz University Press. https://doi.org/10.18148/KOPS/352-2-1M3CZBPI9A5B70
Example 2 (A journal article written in French)
Pinol, J.-L. (2018). Une histoire de Montréal [A history of Montreal]. Revue d'Histoire de L'Amerique Française, 72(1), 104-106. https://doi.org/10.7202/1051155ar