Translating: sources
DP students can use sources of information which are not in the language in which they will submit work for assessments. When this happens, there are translation aspects that students need to be aware of and act upon. This mostly relates to the extended essay, but can also occur in DP subjects. Here, we look at what may be involved.
What the IB Extended essay guide says
Referencing sources not in the language of submission
This appears in a section of the extended essay documentation that is addressed directly to the student:
An extended essay can use sources in languages other than that of submission where appropriate. In these situations, the IB advises that the sources, whether primary or secondary, can be used if necessary, that is, they are not excluded from the essay merely for not being in the language of submission. But note the following.
1. When referred to in the body of the extended essay as a quotation, the quotation should be given as a translation, and the original quotation added as a footnote.
2. If there is no official translation, you should translate the text yourself. Your supervisor should help you to ensure that, as far as possible, the translation is accurate and representative of the original text. If you find the translation task beyond your capabilities, it is advisable not to include that source in your research. Remember that in selecting sources, the nature of the subject in question needs to be considered—for example, in a language B essay, it is vital that you work mostly with authentic materials in the target language.
3. When a source is cited in the reference list or bibliography, the citation should be in the original language of the source. Where there is no official published translation, you should write a brief summary alongside the source. Your summary should be in the language of submission and include:
a. the title of the work
b. the name of the work’s author
c. the focus of the work
d. any other relevant details.
When you provide this information, the examiner can assess the relevance and suitability of the source as required.
Extended essay guide, first assessment 2027. International Baccalaureate Organization, 2025, p. 90.
Using and referencing sources not in the language of submission
So, for the extended essay, students can use sources of information in languages different to the language in which they are writing their essay. (The official information about this is in the ‘Writing the EE section’ of the current Extended essay guide, as excerpted above). When they do so, students need to do several things:
- Translate quotes. Any quote from the other-language source should be given as a translation in the body of the essay, with the original language quotation provided as a footnote.
- Use a good quality translation. An ‘official' translation is preferred, but if this is not possible, the student should translate the text. The student is responsible for the fidelity and quality of the translation, so if this is beyond the abilities of the student, the student is advised not to use the source. (An exception to this factor is if the student is undertaking an essay for a language B - here the student must use materials in that language B.)
- Translate the citation. When listing the source in the reference list or bibliography, the student should provide the citation in the original language. Again, if there is no official published translation, the student needs to provide translated details in the language in which the essay is written. The details needed include the title and author of the work. Basically, the student needs to provide enough details for the examiner to evaluate the source as being relevant to the essay.
Translation of source text
Students who are following the DP economics course use sources for their internal assessment (IA). Students produce a portfolio of three commentaries on three articles about different economics topics (covered by the course) which students find themselves. It is possible for a student to use an article written in a different language in which the commentary will be written. When this happens, relevant IB documentation makes clear what students need to do:
For DP economics, articles used for the IA are usually “in the same language as the commentary. If an article in another language is used, the student must provide an accurate translation of the whole article. Students must also include the original article in their portfolio.” (Economics teacher support material. IB, 2020)
What a citation showing translation of a source looks like
The actual citation will vary according to the referencing style used. Here are two examples.
This first example for the MLA style is from the Emily Carr Writing Centre:
Xiao Feng & Ren JianJun. "中国方式: 中国当代艺术中一个重要的文化现象" [“Chinese Pattern: A Vital Manifestation in Chinese Contemporary Art.”]. 华中师范大学学报: 人文社会科学版 [Journal of Huazhong Normal University (Humanities and Social Sciences)], 43-1 (2004): p. 133.
This example is for the APA style (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. 343):
Malle, L. (Director). (1987). Au revoir les enfants [Goodbye children] [Film]. Nouvelles Editions de Films.
Reconciling referencing styles with IB requirements
Sometimes, a referencing style (e.g. Harvard style, which can vary depending on the institution that has adopted it) might not offer guidance on how to cite sources of information in languages other than the language of instruction (or, more specifically, the language in which the assessed student work will be submitted).
Also, sometimes, a reference style will stipulate that a transliteration is provided, rather than a translation.
Irrespective of what a referencing style looks like and includes, the clear IB advice above should be followed. Just to recap, that advice is:
- the title of the work
- the author's name
- focus of the item - what is it about
- other relevant details - for instance, why has the student chosen that particular source.
So, even if the particular citation style requirements are met, it might be helpful to prompt a student to reflect and evaluate whether the IB requirements have been met. If not, then the student needs to add more detail.
Transliteration
When citing translated items, students may come across the term transliteration and perhaps be confused by it. Transliteration puts the title of an item into another language so it can be pronounced in a reasonable way. The student though, needs to concentrate on translating the title (and other aspects of the citation) into the language in which the assessed work is being written.
Translation tools
Clearly, there are a number of tech tools - not least those generated by AI - that can help students with translation.
In this example, library staff of a higher education institution are aware that students will use tech tools, including AI ones, to help them with using a source of information that is in another language (and probably one in which they don't speak or read). This is helpful information for their own students and they make it clear that it is the library advice and needs to be checked with a relevant lecturer.
The text above provides great advice to students about how to be open and honest when they have used AI tools.
For IB requirements, translation of citation needs to be included but the main aspect is that the IB advises or cautions against students using sources they don't understand.
Translating / transliterating an author name
Clearly, a person's name remains the name even if referring to it in another language. Where the name is written in a different script, then transliteration of the name is necessary (Adams, 2021).
For instance, in Japanese, one popular writer's name is ばなな よしもと and can be transliterated into the Romaji script as Banana Yoshimoto*.
The Emily Carr Writing Centre has identified that “author names in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese are always written with family name first”. Given that reference lists and bibliographies list author names by family or surname, followed by first name, it is not necessary to “to reverse names as they are already in the correct order, and no comma needs to be added between names” as is shown in the example provided above (i.e. 'What translation of source citation looks like' box).
*We used the JaLa converter.
What can we do?
- Be aware that DP students may have translation requirements for sources of information for their assessed work.
- Help students to understand how citation requirements - over-ridden by IB requirements - work.
- Encourage and help students to find and use good quality translated sources of information for their assessed work.
- In cases where of limited translation and where students have limited understanding in the language of a particular source of information, help students to look for alternative sources.
- Where students have used AI tools to help translate, encourage students to identify and state the use they have made of AI tools in their assessed work.
References
Adams, A. (2021, August 23). When and how to transliterate titles in references. APA Style blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/transliterated-titles-references
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual. 7th ed. American Psychological Association.
Emily Carr Writing Centre. (n.d.). Working with non-English sources in writing: MLA. https://writingcentre.ecuad.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/3bd36-online_non_eng_mla.pdf
JaLa [Japanese Language] converter. https://jala.tools/en/tools/romaji-converter
Photo: introduction box photo by Ling App on Unsplash.
Bold text in IB quotes above made by authors of this website