How do I cite translated lyrics?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.

You can cite translated lyrics like other song lyrics. The following provides an example:

Piaf, Édith. Lyrics to “Jete e trendafilte.” Translated by Marenglen Arapi. Lyrics Translate, 3 Mar. 2019, lyricstranslate.com/en/la-vie-en-rose-jete-e-trendafilte.html.

In the example above, the translator, Marenglen Arapi, is given in the middle optional-element slot, because Arapi translated only “Jete e trendafilte,” not all the lyrics on the site Lyrics Translate. The container, Lyrics Translate, is a website that contains lyrics translated by many different people. If you are citing a complete work that has been translated, like a libretto, the translators would be given in the Contributors element. The following provides an example:

Schikaneder, Emanuel. The Magic Flute. Translated by Ruth Martin and Thomas Martin, G. Schirmer, 1941.

In the example above, Ruth Martin and Thomas Martin appear in the Contributors element. See our related post on citing song lyrics.