You can include non-English research in an English literature review by translating key findings, properly citing the original source, and noting the original language in your citation to maintain academic transparency.
Assess Relevance and Translation Needs
Start by determining which non-English papers are essential to your review. Not every foreign-language source needs full translation—often the abstract, methodology section, or key results tables are sufficient. Many databases now provide machine-translated abstracts, but verify critical details against the original text when possible.
Translation Approaches
For papers central to your argument, consider these options:
Professional translation services provide the highest accuracy for complex technical content, though they can be costly and time-consuming.
Bilingual colleagues or co-authors familiar with your field can help translate and verify technical terminology that automated tools might misinterpret.
AI-powered translation tools have improved dramatically for academic content. WisPaper's AI Copilot offers full-text bilingual translation that preserves technical terminology and document structure, making it easier to extract relevant findings from papers in languages you don't read fluently.
Your own language skills, if you have basic proficiency, combined with field-specific dictionaries can work for straightforward methodological papers.
Citation and Documentation
Always cite the original publication details, including the original title and language. Most citation styles have specific formats for this:
- APA: Add "[In German]" or the appropriate language in brackets after the title
- Chicago: Include "Translated by [name]" if you used a formal translation
- MLA: Note the original language in the citation
In your literature review text, you might write: "According to Müller (2019, translated from German)..." to signal the source language to readers.
Methodological Transparency
Briefly note your translation approach in your methodology section, especially if you're systematically including non-English sources. This transparency strengthens your review's credibility and helps readers assess potential translation limitations.
Including international research enriches your review's scope and often reveals perspectives or findings not yet published in English-language journals, particularly in fields where significant research occurs in non-Anglophone countries.
