Citing a Translated Poem in a Bibliography

Citing a source that informs your academic writing is paramount to crafting a complete, credible paper. When referencing a translated poem, include the translator's name in the citation with all of the other identifying information. The Modern Language Association and American Psychological Association formats are different, but both styles allow you to include the additional information seamlessly.

MLA: Translated Poem in a Book

Type the poet's last name followed by a comma and a space. Enter his complete first name and then a period. Make an open quotation mark. Type the name of the poem in title case: capitalize the first letter of every word except for articles. Place a period at the end of the title and then add a close quotation mark. Type the title of the book in title case. Italicize the title and place a period at the end. Enter the abbreviation “Trans” followed by a period, space, the translator's first and last names and then a period.

If an editor assembled the collection of poems, cite the editor after the translator. Type the abbreviation "Ed" followed by a period, space, the translator's first and last names and then a period. Enter the city of publication followed by a colon. Leave a space. Add the publisher's name, a comma and a space. Enter the year of publication followed by a period. Cite the page number succeeded by a period. Type “Print” to note the medium and conclude the citation with a period. For example:

MLA: Translated Poem Found Online

Type the poet's last name followed by a comma, a space, his first name and then a period. Insert an open quotation mark. Enter the title of the poem in title case followed by a period and a close quotation mark. Type the abbreviation “Trans” followed by a period, space, the translator's first and last names and then a period. Cite the name of the website in italicized title case followed by a period.

Enter the name of the publisher, a comma and a space. Add the year of publication and a period. Type “Web.” Note the date you accessed the poem in day-month-year format. Abbreviate the month and place a period at the end. The seventh edition of the MLA handbook does not require you to include a URL in a Web citation.

However, if your professor requires you to cite the Web address, include it after the access date. Enter the phrase “Retrieved from” followed by a space and an open-angled bracket. Paste the URL and add a close-angle bracket. For example:

APA: Translated Poem in a Book

Type the poet's last name followed by a comma and a space. Enter his first initial then a period. Make an open parenthesis. Note the year of publication. Add a close parenthesis and a period. Type the title of the poem in sentence case: only capitalize the first letters of the first and last words, the first word after a colon (if any) and proper nouns. Place a period at the end of the title. Make an open parenthesis. Type the first initial of the translator followed by a period, a space and his last name. Add a comma and a space.

Type the abbreviation “Trans.” Enter a close parenthesis and a period. If an editor assembled the collection of poems, cite the editor after the translator. Type the editor's first initial followed by a period, a space, his last name and another space. Make an open parenthesis and enter the abbreviation "Ed." Add a close parenthesis, a comma and a space. Enter the title of the book in italicized sentence case. Leave a space and make an open parenthesis. Type a “p” followed by a period, space and the page number for the poem. Add a close parenthesis and a period.

Enter the city of publication in city-comma-state format. Use the two-letter state abbreviation and place a colon at the end. Leave a space then type the publisher's name and a period. Insert an open parenthesis. Type the phrase “Original work published” and then note the year the poem was first published in its original language. Conclude the citation with a close parenthesis and period. For example:

APA: Translated Poem Found Online

Type the poet's last name followed by a comma, a space, his first initial and then a period. Note the year of publication and enclose it in parentheses. Type the title of the poem in sentence case then add a period. Insert an open parenthesis. Add the first initial of the translator followed by a period and a space. Enter the translator's last name followed by a comma and a space. Type the abbreviation “Trans.” Insert a close parenthesis and a period. Make another open parenthesis.

Enter the phrase “Original work published” and note the year the poem was initially published in its original language. Add a close parenthesis and a period. Conclude the citation with the phrase “Retrieved from” followed by the Web address. For example: