Should the references in the translation be translated into Chinese?

Key Points of This Article

References usually retain the original text; titles, journal names, and author names are not translated unless otherwise specified by the target journal or school.
The citation key (e.g., \cite{smith2020}) corresponds to the main text and the article article; do not rename, delete, or localize the text during translation.
After downloading the translation, first check whether the citation markings are still present, then check that the number matches the reference list one-to-one.
LaTeX files only modify the main paragraph, not the keys and fields in .bib. After compilation, check each entry for undefined references.
Using Zotero to manage entries and export BibTeX can reduce mismatches between translations and reference lists.

When writing a paper or translating English documents, many people will encounter a small problem: the text has been translated into Chinese, what should I do with the reference list? Should each document be translated into Chinese, or should it be retained as it is? If not handled properly, the citation number, author year and literature list in the translation may not match, and readers cannot find the source. This is also one of the most error-prone aspects of citation format in papers.

This article is written for readers who need to translate English papers, dissertations or technical documents, especially those who use LaTeX or Zotero to manage documents. After reading, you will be able to judge what content should be translated and what must be retained, and you will also know how to keep the document entries consistent with the text when using OmniDoc to translate the text.

Should reference entries be translated into Chinese? In short, a conclusion

Usually the entire article is not translated: the author's name, title, and journal name remain in the original text, and the format is adjusted according to the requirements of the target journal or school; the citation key and numbering mechanism must remain unchanged.

your situation	Recommended recipe	reason
Submit to Chinese journals, with the main text in Chinese	References retain the original language and are arranged in journal format	The original title and journal name are easy to search, but the translation is easy to be inconsistent.
The school provides a template for the thesis	Subject to school regulations, most foreign language items require that the original text be retained.	Format review is conducted according to the template; self-translation may not be compliant
Translate others' English papers for your own reading	The main text is translated into Chinese, and the literature list retains the original text.	This makes it easier to refer back to the original text and avoid mistakenly treating the translated name as the original question
LaTeX source files	Only correct the main paragraph, without changing the keys and fields in .bib	Once the reference key is disconnected, the compilation will show an undefined reference
Manual numbering in Word documents	After translation, check each item by number and the order in which the main text is cited	Manual numbering is prone to misalignment after adding or deleting text.

How to deal with the title, journal name and author name respectively?

Author's Name: Keep the original spelling. The Chinese translation is not unique, and it is difficult for readers to search for the original text by the translation.
Title: Keep the original text. If you need to make it easier to read, you can add Chinese explanations in brackets, but it does not replace the original question.
Journal Name: Keep the full name or standard abbreviation and do not translate it.
Year, Volume, Issue, Page Number: Keep them as they are and do not rewrite them for typesetting.

Some formats will indicate the language of the document at the end of the entry. The specific requirements are subject to the regulations of the target journal or school.

###Why the reference key cannot be moved?

The citation key is an identifier such as \cite{smith2020} in the text, which corresponds to the entry in the .bib file one-to-one. If the key is changed to Chinese, renamed or deleted during translation, the corresponding entry will not be found in the text.

In Word or plain text, numbers like [1], [2] are generated in the order in which the reference first appears. After adjusting the order of paragraphs or adding or deleting citations, the numbering will change, and the text and literature list will be updated simultaneously.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding 1: If the entire document is translated, the entire text will be unified. Text translation and document list processing are two different things. After translation, you still need to check the correspondence between the reference marks and the literature area.
Misunderstanding 2: Only when references are translated into Chinese can they appear standardized. Most journals and school regulations do not require this, and translation will increase the difficulty of retrieval and verification.
Misunderstanding 3: The literature list looks fine, so there is no need to check the number. Numbering misalignments usually appear in the middle of the text and need to be compared point by point.

# Core comparison

Treatment mode	Text	Literature list	Suitable for the scene	Matters needing attention
Translated into Chinese as a whole	Chinese	Chinese	Summary and popular science for Chinese readers	The author's name and title are difficult to refer back to the original text.
The translation of the text and the retention of the original text	Chinese	Original text	Paper submission, reading comprehension, common practice	You need to check whether the reference number is consistent with the entry
Bilingual	Chinese-English comparison	Original text	Teaching, manuscript review, team discussion	If the page becomes longer, you need to make sure that the contrast paragraphs are aligned.

# how to use it

prepare the document. PDF can be uploaded directly to omnidoc.top, select bilingual control or translation only, and download the result. LaTeX projects can upload source packages, and Word documents can upload .docx files.
check the reference marks in the translation results. confirm that tags such as [1] and (Smith, 2020) still exist and the number is the same as the original text.
check the documentation area. after downloading, open the literature list to see whether the entry has been changed, and whether the author's name, title and year are consistent with the original text.
recompile the LaTeX project. check the log for warnings such as Citation undefined, which means that a reference key does not match.
unify entries with Zotero. organize the literature in Zotero and export the BibTeX file. OmniDoc's Zotero document Workspace can help you find PDF and translate papers, making it easy for you to check entries against the original text.
manual review. Machine translation may mistranslate terms, numbers or proper nouns. Please check the important contents paragraph by paragraph before handing in the manuscript.

# which method is suitable for you?

Prepare to submit: the translation of the text shall be accompanied by a list of the original documents, and shall be checked strictly according to the format of the target journal. - read the literature by yourself: bilingual control, it is convenient to review the original text while reading. - write a thesis: look at the school template first, and then refer to the common specifications for the parts that are not written in the template.

# frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. Which reference management software is easy to use?

No one is suitable for everyone. When making a choice, you can look at three points: whether you can export the format commonly used by BibTeX or Word, whether you can automatically obtain item information from PDF or web pages, and whether the team needs to share the document library. If you are already using Zotero, you can unify the items in it before exporting it.

2. What is the meaning of merging latex references?

Refers to successive references in the text, such as [1] [2] [3], shown as [1mur3]. In LaTeX, you can write\ usepackage [numbers,sort&compress] {natbib} when using the natbib macro package, and list multiple keys in\ cite with a comma. The effect also depends on the style file or journal template used.

3. What if the document number does not match after the translation?

First find the first dislocation, check that the reference key spelling there is the same as .bib, and then recompile. The Word document checks the order of the numbers to make sure that there are no omissions due to adding or deleting paragraphs.

4. Do you want to keep the original English text for Chinese topics?

The original title should be retained for easy retrieval and checking. If the reader needs an explanation in Chinese, you can add it in parentheses, but do not replace the original title with the translated name.

# Summary

Reference entries usually retain the original text, and the text can be translated into Chinese. When translating, keep the corresponding relationship between citation keys, numbers and entries, compile or check item by item before handing in the manuscript, the citation format of the paper is not easy to make mistakes.

Open OmniDoc and translate the whole article.