Library Guides: History: Locate primary sources in translation

UW Libraries Search

Tips

Use UW Libraries Search (see details in the Finding Primary Sources in Translation box below) and limit to English.
Consider using major English language newspapers such as the New York Times (1853-2011) or the London Times (1785-1985) for a U.S. or British perspective if it's appropriate to your topic.
Consult with a librarian to locate databases such as The Times of India (1838-2005) or the Chinese Newspapers Collection (1852-1953) which provide access to English language newspapers from those countries.

Finding Primary Sources in Translation

Combine terms from the box in the center of this page with your subject areas in the UW Libraries Search box above.

Sample: Benito Mussolini diaries

After the results are shown locate the left hand box titled "Language". Click on English to only view sources available in English.

My Diary, 1915-1917 by Benito Mussolini; Translated by Rita Wellman
Suzzallo Library
D569.A2 M87 1925

What is a primary source?

Primary sources include documents or artifacts created by a witness to or participant in an event. They can be firsthand testimony or evidence created during the time period that you are studying.

Primary sources may include diaries, letters, interviews, oral histories, photographs, newspaper articles, government documents, poems, novels, plays, and music. The collection and analysis of primary sources is central to historical research.

Terms useful for locating primary sources in the UW Libraries Search:

sources	journals
personal narratives	interviews
correspondence	sermons
letters	documents
diaries	papers
images/photographs	advertising
maps

Examples of primary sources in translation

Stalin's Letters to Molotov
Contains more than 85 personal & political letters by Stalin that throw light on the way he controlled the government, plotted the overthrow of his enemies and imagined the future.

Chinese Newspapers Collection This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Newspaper page images, 1832-1953. English language newspapers including North China Herald 1850-1941 & Chinese Recorder 1868-1941

Oral histories and artifacts pertaining to the Bracero program, a guest worker initiative that spanned the years 1942-1964, are available from the Bracero Oral History.