How do I find all existing translations of a book?

I want to find all existing translations of a book.

It's hard to get a truly complete list of translations, but here are a few tips:

The resource Index Translationum lists books that have been translated. The online version covers books added to the index between 1979 and 2009: Translationum online

For translations published before 1979, you'll need to consult the older volumes of Index Translationum on the library shelves. Please note that Index Translationum is not cumulative; a comprehensive search requires looking in each of the print volumes: Translationum volumes- library locations in HOLLIS

For translations published after 2009 or not included in Index Translationum, you can try WorldCat:

Go to WorldCat

Conduct a simple search for author=Lastname, firstname

Look for a tiny icon called "limit," and click on it.

Select "language," and check all languages of interest.

(To find Harvard's holdings, simply apply the search strategy for WorldCat, above, to the HOLLIS catalog. The "limit" option will be in the left menu: click on "Show more" to choose which languages to include or exclude.)

For 20th century authors, another source of information is the publisher or copyright holder, who would have negotiated rights to any authorized translations. The Texas "WATCH" file is a database of copyright holders and their contact info and has general advice on locating rightsholders.

Additional tips:

To find translations into a specific language, search HOLLIS or (less reliably) WorldCat for "Title. Language." Use the original title and the English word for the language: "Roman de la Rose. Arabic"

For facing-page translations, search HOLLIS or (less reliably) WorldCat for author=lastname, firstname AND keyword=facing (or "facing translation"). Note: this will find many, but not all, facing-page translations in the catalog.

For translations of the Bible, sources include the Reference Room at the Harvard Divinity School Library (see the Divinity Library's Ask a Librarian FAQ on this) and the old card catalog in Widener's West Stacks Reading Room. Translations into English are compiled in the online resource The Bible in English

For individual poems translated from other languages into English, try Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online. (This resource includes some poems in other languages, but the bulk of it is in English.) 

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