Cite a Book in a Foreign Language

• Tomas Elliott (Ph.D.)
• Published on 06/25/2025

Here is a step-by-step guide to citing a book in a foreign language using Harvard format, including guidelines on structure, examples, and additional tips to help students and researchers reference correctly and clearly.

Key Citation Elements

• Author Name (Individual or Organization): Start with the name of the author. For an individual, write the surname first, followed by the initial(s) of the first and middle names. Insert a full stop after every initial. For an organization or corporate body author, use the full name as in the source, without reorganization.
• Year of Publication (in round brackets): The publication date of the book should be indicated just after the author’s name and initials. Round brackets should be used to enclose the year. In case of translated or edited works, the year of the edition used rather than the original publication year should be used except where necessary.
• Title (in italics): The original title itself has to be italicised and typed as it appears on the cover or title page. Follow the capitalisation conventions of the original language (e.g. all nouns in capital letters for German, sentence case for French or Spanish). The original title is not to be translated or abbreviated.
• Translation of Title in Square Brackets (in roman print): Place the original title followed by the translation in square brackets. The translation is not italicised and in sentence case (only the first word and proper nouns are capitalised). The translation should be accurate and convey the sense of the original title. Official English titles where possible should be employed (e.g., for well-known novels).
• Place of Publication: Give the city where the book has been published. Do not translate city names in foreign languages (use “München” instead of “Munich” or “Firenze” instead of “Florence”). Only the city and not the state or country should be mentioned unless there are multiple cities with the same name.
• Publisher: Provide the name of the publishing house exactly as it is written on the title or copyright page. Leave the name as it is, not translated. Exclude business terms like “Ltd.”, “Co.”, or “Inc.” if not part of the official name.

Citation Example for a Book in a Foreign Language (Original Language Cited)

When the book is in a foreign language and it is being quoted in that language, place the English title of the book in square brackets directly after the original title. This helps the readers to easily identify what the book is about if they are not familiar with the original language.

In-Text Citation Format

Harvard in-text citations for foreign language books follow the same pattern as other book in-text citations. The citation may be provided either in parenthetical or narrative form:

Parenthetical Citation:

Narrative Citation:

These are the structures to be followed regardless of the language of the book.

Original Title in Italics: Always italicize the book title as it appears in the original language. This goes for whichever language is being utilized. The italics are used to differentiate the title from the translation and the remainder of the citation. Square Bracket Translation (Not Italicised): Place the English translation in square brackets immediately after the original title. Do not italicise the translation. Place it immediately after the original title, without a punctuation mark between them, in sentence case (only capitalise the first word and proper nouns). Adhere to Original Capitalisation Rules: Keep the source language’s capitalisation rule intact. For example, German has all nouns capitalised; French or Spanish have only the first word and proper names capitalised. Don’t alter the style to fit English-language title conventions. Maintain Original Publisher and City Names: Avoid translating publisher and publication city names into English. Simply use them the way they are in the book, even if they are unfamiliar or have non-English characters. Do Not Mark Language Individually: No need to add a comment like “in French” or “in Spanish” to the citation. It is enough to put the English title of the work in square brackets to make clear the language of the content. Utilize Published, Accurate Translations: Avoid using translator software. Utilize only approved or published English translations of the title, ideally from recognized or official editions. Consistency and accuracy are ensured for academic writing.