Cite a Republished Translation in Harvard

• Hannah Berry (Ph.D.)
• Published on 06/05/2025

When citing a republished translation in Harvard style, the year of first translation, translator’s details, and republication year must be included. This is for books that were originally translated many years ago and then later republished without additional changes or updates. This is different from citing a new edition or a work newly translated.

What is a Republished Translation?

A reprinted translation is a translated work that has been reprinted in a later year unchanged in the translation or content. It doesn’t include any new material, revisions, introductions, or versions. Only the original translation and publication are reused and reprinted.

Citation Structure

• Author: This refers to the name of the original author who wrote the book in its original language (e.g., French, Russian, German).
• Year of Original Translation: The date when the book was first translated into English (or some other language, as appropriate). It is not the original year of composition of the book, or the republication year. Enclose the year in round brackets.
• Title: Write the title of the book in italics. Employ sentence case: only the first word of the title and any proper nouns should be capitalized.
• Translated by: Use the words “Translated by” in order to introduce the translator. This way, the translator gets proper credit for their efforts in translating the work into English.
• Translator: Provide the translator’s name to give full credit to the person who translated the work into English (or some other language).
• Republished Year: The year the same translated edition was republished or reprinted. Nothing was altered in the content, so it is not a new edition. Always place the word “Republished” in front of the year.
• Place of Publication: Provide the city in which the publisher is located. This determines the specific publishing company, especially for foreign companies.
• Publisher: Provide the publisher who re-published the translation. It may differ from the original publisher of the translator.

In-text citation

The two standard forms of in-text citations are parenthetical and narrative.

Parenthetical

This style is placed in brackets at the end of a sentence or clause that uses or quotes the source.

Narrative

This style integrates the author’s name into the structure of the sentence, with the year placed in brackets immediately following the name.

Do Not Add Original Language Publication Year: Do not add the year a book was first published in its original language (e.g., Russian, French). Include only the republished year and the year the work was first published in translation. Adding the original publication date is unnecessary and will be confusing to readers. Put “Translated by” Before Mentioning the Translator: Always write out “Translated by” in full — don’t abbreviate (never use “Trans. by” or “Tr.”). This is for clarity and to conform to formal Harvard style. Capitalize Proper Nouns in the Title of the Book Only: Use sentence case in the title of the book, where only proper nouns and the first word are capitalized. Never use title case. Put the Translator’s Full Initials Before the Surname: When giving credit to the translator, use all initials available (in full) preceded by the translator’s surname and ending with a full stop after each initial. Never omit or reverse their order. Use ‘Republished’ Only Once and Before the Year: Put the word “Republished” immediately before the year of reprint and only once. Don’t repeat it or rephrase differently.