Caltech Library System

Table of Contents

Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI)
Chemical Abstracts. Patent Index
Journals in Translation
Government Reports Announcements & Index
Consolidated Index of Translations into English I 1953-1966
Translation Monthly 1955-1958
Technical Translations 1959-1967 
Consolidated Index of Translations into English II (CITE II) 1967-1984
World Index of Scientific Translations... 1967-1977
World Transindex 1978-1986
Translations Register Index 1967-1986
World Translations Index 1987

Books
Internet Translation Resources

Introduction

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Translations of science and technology articles are not always easy to find, but with a little luck, some perseverance, and use of the resources listed here, you increase your chances of finding the translation you need. This guide is intended to teach you how to use the various translation resources available within the Caltech libraries and give a basic strategy for finding a translation. Its main focus is on finding translations of journal articles in the areas of science, engineering and technology but it also includes information on finding conference proceedings, technical reports, monographs, newspapers, patents and standards.

There are a few things to keep in mind while searching for a translation. One thing that makes this task challenging is the unknown variable of when an article was actually translated. An article that was written in the 1950's may not have been translated until sometime in 1970. Therefore, the older the article the more territory you will have to cover in your search. Another factor to keep in mind is the transliteration and filing of journal titles under different systems from index to index. For example, the World Index of Scientific Translations uses the Wade-Giles system for Chinese transliteration but the Translations Register Index uses the Pinyin system. For the Chinese journal Acta Zoologica Sinica this means that in World Index of Scientific Translations you will be looking for citations under Tung Wu Hsueh Pao but in Translations Register Index you will have to search under Dongwu Xuebao. Some indexes cross reference to the other title and some do not. In any case, it is best to look under all known variations of a title because the filing of journal titles also varies from index to index. Doklady Akademiia Nauk SSSR in one index maybe filed under Akademiia Nauk SSSR Doklady in another. The more you know about the citation of the article whose translation you would like to find the better.

Basic Strategy

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I have tried to create this guide so that users can quickly grasp which resources would be best to use to find the item for which they are looking. For older articles start with the Quick Chart to find which resources cover the type of document and date range of the item for which you want to find a translation. The first part of finding a translation I call the "clue-finding" stage: you want to start with the resources which cover the broadest ranges and make note of any clues (such as varying titles, abbreviations, etc.) you find along the way. For journal articles, it is a good idea to see first if a cover-to-cover English translation of the journal exists. Use CLAS (Caltech's online catalog), CASSI, or Journals in Translation to find out if a translation exists and/or any alternative titles or abbreviations by which the journal may be known. If a cover-to-cover translation does exist then sometimes it is easiest to go look at the actual journal to see if volumes and issues match up. Usually the exact paging will not coincide, however, many cover-to-cover translations include a cross reference in the table of contents from the original language to the English.

EXAMPLE:

If no cover-to-cover translation exists, then a good place to start is with the Consolidated Index of Translations into English I & II. CITE I & II have a wide coverage (1953-1984) and cumulate many of the other resources.

For more recent journal articles (within the past 5 years), if no cover-to-cover translation exists, your best bet is to have a search done on the World Translations Index database. This is an online database provided through a vendor, Dialog, which Caltech librarians can search for you.

Quick Chart

Print Indexes

Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI): 1907-1994 cumulative
(1907-1994)

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SFL REF: Z5523.A524 1907/89
Mil-1 QuickRef: Z5523.A524 1907/94
Mil-8 QuickRef: Z5523.A524 1907/94

cumulation: cumulates years 1907-1989/1994
includes: journals, conference proceedings (in series), patent documents (in series) and meeting publications
excludes: not stated
language(s): all languages
directory of sources: given with each entry
arrangement: alphabetically (letter-by-letter) by the abbreviated form of the serial or nonserial title; items beginning with numbers follow alpha listing
indexes: n/a
full citations: no

To find a translation:
Look up abbreviated title of journal you want to find. Translations will be listed if available. Locations and holdings information are given under each entry.

EXAMPLE:

Chemical Abstracts. Patent Index (1967+)

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Mil-8 Alcove

cumulation: semiannually
includes: chemical & chemical engineering patents from 29 countries
excludes: books, journals, etc.
languages: all
directory of sources: alphabetical by a 2-character code for the country of issue
indexes:Patent Index, Keyword Index, Subject Index, Chemical Substance Index
full citation: yes
online availability: CAplus (1967-1975 patents only; mid-1975+ patents w/ abstracts)

To find a translation: If you are looking for a pre-1977 patent, find the section which contains the patent concordance (for patents 1977+ there is only one combined index). If you know the patent number and the country where the patent was issued, look up the country under the two-character country code (e.g., JP for Japan). Find the number of your patent (patent numbers are listed in ascending order after country). If related or equivalent patents exist, there will be a listing of these patents with their country codes noted below the main patent (see example under 3); this is called a "family listing." Scan the other 'family' members to see if there is a country code that would indicate that a patent is in English (US, CAN, GB, etc.) or a language you can read. If the patent number you are looking up is not the main patent, the index will refer you to the patent number where the full family listing is available (see example under 2).

EXAMPLE:

Journals in Translation (1950's+)

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Mil-1 Ref  Z6941 .J68 1991
SFL REF  Z6941 .J68 1982 

cumulation: annually
includes: cover-to-cover translations of journals, journals containing selected translated articles
excludes: journals published simultaneously in 2 or more languages (with exception of Russian & Japanese), journals containing only translated abstracts
languages: all, but mostly into English
directory of sources: entitled "Key to Publishers and/or Distributors" located after Original Titles Index
arrangement: alphabetically by English journal title
indexes: Keyword Index, Original Title Index
full citation: no
online availability: n/a
other: includes General Outlines for Abstracts of Soviet Patents & Inventions (from 1960), Atomnaya Energiya, Doklady, Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, and Institute of Electronics & Communication Engineers of Japan

To find a translation:
Look up the translated title of the journal you wish to find. If you do not know the translated (English) title use the Original Title Index to find the correct entry number for your journal. The full entry will give you the journal's original title(s), what dates the translation covers, whether it is cover-to-cover or selective, and what institution currently holds the journal.

EXAMPLE:

Government Reports Announcements & Index (1946+)

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SFL REF INDEXES: T45.B52

cumulation: semi-annually (1960+)
includes: federally funded translations
excludes: not stated
language(s): into English only
directory of sources: documents available through NTIS
arrangement: classified arrangement
indexes: subject index & numerical index for 1-10 in separate volume (1946-1953); numerical & author indexes (1954-1959); numerical, subject, personal author and source indexes (1960+)
full citation: yes
online availability: NTIS bibliographic database (Dialog file 6)

To find a translation:
Look up author's name in personal author index. Scan titles to see if document has been translated. Translations begin with prefixes JPRS-, PB-### ###-T, or TT-.

For space and aeronautics related translations since 1962, try the NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS). Search under author's name or keywords of the English title (combine your search with JPRS* or TT* in the report number field). Papers written before 1962 but translated after are included.

EXAMPLE:

CITE: Consolidated Index of Translations into English (1953-1966)

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SFL REF: Z7403 .C79 1969

cumulation:cumulates Translation Monthly (vols. 1-4) and Technical Translations (vols. 1-16)
includes: journals, technical reports, standards, newspapers and patents
excludes: books, conference proceedings
language(s): into English only
directory of sources: pp. iv-
arrangement: alpha by journal title; patents are alpha by issuing country
indexes: Journal Citation Index, Patent Citation Index
full citation: no (only journal title, year, volume and pages)

To find a journal article translation:
In the Journal Citation Index look up title of journal in its original language. Scan listings under title for year, volume and page number of the article you wish to find. An accession number and where the translation originated (source) will be given. The source will be indicated by a symbol or an acronym. A listing of source codes and acronyms is in the "Directory of Sources" on page v.

EXAMPLE:

To find a patent translation:
Look up country that issued patent you hope to find. Scan patent numbers to see if your patent is listed. If patent is listed, an accession number and the translation's originating source will be given. A listing of source codes and acronyms is in the "Directory of Sources" on page v.

EXAMPLE:

Translation Monthly (1955-1958)

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LIBRARY ANNEX

cumulation: annually
includes: translations from government agencies, technical societies, universities and industries
excludes: not specified
language(s): into English
directory of sources:  
arrangement: alphabetically by first author
indexes: author
full citation: title in english, references are listed as given on the actual translation.

To find a translation:
by author: In the Index for each volume (year), look up author's name. Only first authors are given. The Translation Monthly entry number is given, use them to find the full citation in the Translation Monthly volume for the index you are looking in. 

Note: The translations in this index are from the Special Libraries Association Translation Pool which has since been relocated to the Library of Congress and may not be completely accessible.

Technical Translations (1959-1967)

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LIBRARY ANNEX

cumulation: semi-annually
includes: scientific & technical literature prepared by the government and private sources, technical reports, periodicals and books
excludes: conference proceedings, patents and standards
language(s): into English and other languages
directory of sources: found in the "I" pages at the end of each issue [Note: I-pages were not included in the bound volumes containing the 6 month cumulated indexes; look in bound volumes which cover the first 3 months of a 6 month period (e.g., JAN-MAR or JUL-OCT).
arrangement: subject arrangement
indexes: author, journal and accession/report number
full citation: yes

To find a translation:
by author: In the Author Index look up author's name. The Technical Translations issue number, field/subfield number and accession/report number will be given, use them to find the full citation in the Technical Translations issue indicated. The full citation includes the source information.

EXAMPLE:

FULL CITATION EXAMPLE:

by journal title: In the Journal Index look up title of journal in its original language. Scan listings for volume, issue, pages and year of article for which you are looking. The Technical Translations issue number, field/subfield number and accession/report number will be given, use them to find the full citation in the Technical Translations issue indicated. The full citation includes the source information.

EXAMPLE:

by accession or report number: In the Accession/Report Number Index look up the accession or report number listed alphanumerically. The Technical Translations issue number, field/subfield number and accession/report number will be given, use them to find the full citation in the Technical Translations issue indicated. The full citation includes the source information.

EXAMPLE:

CITE II: Consolidated Index of Translations into English II (1966-1984)

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SFL REF: Z7403 .C791 1986

cumulation: cumulates Translations Register Index vols. 1-18 (1967-1984)
includes: scientific journal articles, technical reports
excludes: books, conference proceedings, patents, standards
language(s): into English only
directory of sources: pp. vii-
arrangement: alpha by journal title
indexes: Journal Citation Index
full citation: no

To find a translation:
In the Journal Citation Index look up title of journal in its original language. Scan listings under title for year, volume and page number of the article you wish to find. An accession number and where the translation originated (source) will be given. The source will be indicated by a symbol or an acronym. A listing of source codes and acronyms is in the "Directory of Sources" on page vii (see EXAMPLE above under earlier edition of CITE).

World Index of Scientific Translations ... (1967-1977)

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LIBRARY ANNEX: v.1 (1967) - v.11 (1977)

World Index of Scientific Translations and List of Translations Notified to the International Translations Center v.11 (1977)
World Index of Scientific Translations and List of Translations Notified to ETC
v.6 (1972)-v.10 (1976)
World Index of Scientific Translations v.1 (1967)-v.5 (1971)

cumulation: annually, journal title index has 5 year cumulative volumes
includes: journal & other serial articles, patents, standards relating to science & technology, some social science & other subject translations
excludes: books, conference proceedings
language(s): from Eastern European & Asian into Western languages (German, French, English)
directory of sources: located in introductory pages
arrangement: Index is arranged by title of original publication (patents are located under "patent" in the serial title listing and then alpha by country); List is arranged by subject
indexes: author, journal title
full citation: yes
other: includes listing of "Japanese Cross References" for help when only English version of title is known for a Japanese journal; List is published annually in number 1 starting with v 9

To find a journal article translation:
by author: Look up author's name in Author Index located in the last issue of each yearly volume. Find the accession number(s), then look up the accession number(s) in the List section for the full citation and source information. Note: accession number may be located in an earlier issue's List section.

EXAMPLE:

AUTHOR INDEX

LIST SECTION

by journal title: In the Index section look up the journal title in its original language. Scan the list for the year, volume and pages to see if article you are looking for has been translated. Note the accession number and look up the accession number in the List section for the full citation and source information. Note: accession number may be located in an earlier issue's List section.

To find a patent or standard translation:
In the Index section look under P's for "Patent" or S's for "Standard". Patents/standards will be collocated by country in which the patent or standard originated. Find accession number for patent/standard you are looking for and look up the accession number in the List section for the full citation and source information. Note: accession number may be located in an earlier issue's List section.

EXAMPLE (PATENT):

EXAMPLE (STANDARD):

World Transindex (1977-1985)

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LIBRARY ANNEX: v.1 (1978)-v.9 (1985)

cumulation: annually
includes: papers, conference proceedings, monographs, offprints, patents, preprints, reports, standards, technical handbooks, theses, unidentified sources
excludes: not stated
language(s): from Eastern European & Asian into Western languages (German, French, English)
directory of sources: entitled "Key to Organizations..." located after the subject category listing in each issue
arrangement: by subject
indexes: source (publications) & author indexes
full citation: yes
online availability: World Translations Index: WTI (Dialog file 295, 1979-1997)
other: also provides a listing of journals currently translated cover-to-cover

To find a translation:
by author: Look up author's name in Author Index located only in the annual cumulated index issue for each volume. Next to the author's name will be an accession number. Look up the accession number(s) in the References section of the monthly issues for full citation and source information.

EXAMPLE:

AUTHOR INDEX

REFERENCES SECTION

by journal title: In the Source Index look up the journal title in its original language. Find year, volume, issue, and pages of article you wish to find. Each translation will have an accession number in the right-hand column. The notations E, F, D (for English, French, Deutch) tell you into which language the article has been translated. Look up the accession number in the References section on the monthly issues for full citation and source information.

by conference, monograph, offprint, paper, patent, preprint, report standard, technical handbook, thesis or unidentified source: In the Source index look up the following abbreviations for each type of material: Conf, Mono, Offpr, Paper, Patent, Prepr, Rep, Standard, Tech Hb, Thesis, Unid. Under these headings a listing of each document type is given arranged by country, then title (or numerically for patents/standards). The notations E, F, D (for English, French, Deutsch) tell you into which language the article has been translated. The accession number in the right-hand column can be used to look up the full citation and source information in the Reference section of the monthly issues.

EXAMPLE:

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

MONOGRAPH

PATENT

Translations register-index (1967-1986)

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LIBRARY ANNEX: v.1 (1967)-v.20 (1986)

cumulation: cumulated in WTI Dialog database?
includes: journal articles, conference proceedings, patents, standards in the areas of the natural, physical, medical and social sciences.
excludes: books
language(s): into English
directory of Sources: located in introductory pages before author index
arrangement: Monthly register -- by subject. Indexes: author - by name; journal citation - by title; conference - by year; patent & standards - by country
indexes: author, journal citation, conference, patent, standard (cumulated annually)
full citation: ? (in register section)
online availability: World Translations Index:WTI (Dialog file 295, 1979-1997)

To find a translation:
Using the appropriate index look up document you are trying to obtain using whatever information you have (e.g., if you have author information then use author index). In all of the indexes you are given an accession number which can be used to locate the full information in the monthly register sections of the TRI. In the journal citation index you are also given the source symbol or acronym, subject code, coden and issn numbers.

EXAMPLES:

AUTHOR INDEX

JOURNAL CITATION INDEX

STANDARD INDEX

World translations index (1987)

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LIBRARY ANNEX : v.1 (1987)

cumulation: annually
includes: includes conference proceedings, maps, monographs, offprints, papers, patents, preprints, reports, standards, technical handbooks, theses and unidentified sources
excludes: not stated
language(s): from all languages into Western languages
directory of sources: entitled "Key to Organizations..." located in each issue after the subject category listing and in the Annual Index.
arrangement: by subject
indexes: source, author (cumulated annually in separate issue)
full citation: yes
online availability: World Translations Index: WTI (Dialog file 295, 1979 - 1997)
other: Transliteration table of Slavic Cyrillic alphabets, listing of Journals Currently Translated Cover-to-Cover (in 1^st issue & in Annual Index)

To find a translation:
by author: Look up author's name in the Author index located only in the annual cumulated index issue for each volume. Next to the author's name will be an accession number. Look up the accession number(s) in the References section of the monthly issues for full citation and source information.

EXAMPLE:

AUTHOR INDEX

REFERENCES SECTION

by journal title: In the Source index look up the journal title in its original language. Find year, volume, issue, and pages of article you hope to find. Each translation will have an accession number in the right-hand column. The notations E, F, D (for English, French, Deutsch) tell you into which language the article has been translated. Look up the accession number in the References section of the monthly issues for full citation and source information.

EXAMPLE:

SOURCE INDEX

REFERENCES SECTION

by conference, monograph, offprint, paper, patent, preprint, report standard, technical handbook, thesis or unidentified source: In the Source index look up the following abbreviations for each type of material: Conf, Mono, Offpr, Paper, Patent, Prepr, Rep, Stand, Tech Hb, Thesis, Unid. Under these headings a listing of each document type is given arranged by country then title (or numerically for patents/standards) The notations E, F, D (for English, French, Deutsch) tell you into which language the article has been translated. The accession number in the right-hand column can be used to look up the full citation and source information in the Reference section of the monthly issues.

EXAMPLE:

SOURCE INDEX

REFERENCES SECTION

Databases

OCLC (all dates)

availability: From telnet CLAS main menu select F (connect to another database) then 05 (Easynet/OCLC)
coverage: OCLC is a union catalog for over 63 countries and territories. It includes books, technical reports, conference proceedings and periodicals

Nasa Technical Reports Server (1962+)

availability: Internet http://ntrs.nasa.gov/
coverage: Space and Aeronautics related translations

NTIS Bibliographic Database (1964+)

availability: Dialog file 6
coverage: federally generated translations

World Translations Index: WTI (1979-1997)

availability: Dialog file 295
coverage: technical literature in all fields of science and technology

British Library Document Supply Collections Database (1980+)

availability: Internet http://blpc.bl.uk/
coverage: translations from the British Lending Library; good source for translated books

Miscellaneous Resources

Books

Brush, Stephen G. Resources for the history of physics: Guide to books and audio-visual materials. Guide to original works of historical importance and their translations into other languages. University Press of New England, 1972.

availability: CLAS record
coverage: A 2 part work; contains a list of translations arranged alphabetically by the surnames of the first author and an extensive index (covering both Parts 1-2) which includes second authors, subject terms and book titles.

Internet Translation Resources

PROMT's Online Translator

availability: Internet http://www.translate.ru/eng/
coverage: translators for text, email and websites; translates from English to Russian, French, German, Spanish and vice versa for these languages

American Translators Association's Online Translation Services Directory

availability: Internet http://www.americantranslators.org/tsd_listings/
coverage: Searchable database to find a translator or interpreter, features the profiles of 4030 translators and interpreters

Xlation

availability: Internet http://www.xlation.com/
coverage: 1,600 glossaries and over 60 online grammars, links to computer assisted and machine translation resources

Major Translation Centers

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The British Library Document Supply Centre
Boston Spa Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ
Tel: +44 01937 546060 or +44 01937 546000
Fax: +44 01937 546333
Email: dsc-customer-services@bl.uk
www: http://www.bl.uk/services/bsds/dsc/delivery.html

Document Delivery, CISTI
National Research Council Canada
Montreal Road, Bldg. M-55
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0S2
Tel: (613) 993-1585 {(613) 993-1412 for Urgent Service}
Fax: (613) 941-0177 {(613) 952-8243 for Urgent Service}
Email: doccisti@info.cisti.nrc.ca
www: http://www.nrc.ca/cisti/docdel/quickstart_e.shtml

BTUD (Bibliotheek TU Delft)
P.O. Box 98
2600 MG Delft
The Netherlands
Tel: 31 15 278 56 78
Fax: 31 15 257 17 95
Email: info@library.tudelft.nl
www: http://www.library.tudelft.nl/eng/library/

National Technical Information Service
NTIS, 5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Tel: 1-800-553-NTIS (6847) or (703) 605-6000
Fax: (703) 321-8547
Email: orders@ntis.fedworld.gov
www: http://www.ntis.gov/ordering.htm

Resources Consulted

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Malinowsky, H. Robert. Science and Engineering Literature. 2nd ed. Littleton, Colorado, Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1976

Roper, Fred W., and Jo Anne Boorkman. Introduction to Reference Sources in the Health Sciences. 3rd ed. Metuchen, N.J., Medical Library Association, 1994

Schneider, Lydia. "English Language Translations: A Guide to Selected Resources in the Duke University Libraries." Duke University Libraries. 26 November 1997. http://www.lib.duke.edu/reference/translations.html (25 February 1998)