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Translations 1
Collection Policy Statement Index
I. Translations from foreign languages into English
The Library of Congress ordinarily acquires for its permanent collections translations from foreign languages into English when the publication is of research value.
II. Other translations
Translations from one foreign language into another, or from English into another language, are acquired only when the translation:
- has exceptional literary merit due to the stature of the translator;
- has important scholarly appendages such as extensive notes, introductory matter, or bibliography;
- possesses special distinction from the viewpoint of typography, design, or illustrative matter;
- is important from the viewpoint of vocabulary and terminology, including works known to have had a significant impact on the development of a language;
- is of Anglo-American constitutions, laws, codes, etc., as provided for in Legal Materials, Section III.G.;
- has had fundamental socio-cultural impact on the country or countries into whose language the work has been translated and is essential for an understanding of the culture transfer process; or is an indispensable scholarly contribution to the study of that country;
- is by an author whose writings the Library attempts to collect exhaustively;
- represents a significant work which the Library does not possess in its original language;
- is the only known work available in that language (e.g., Bible or Koran, or the most complete available part/s of these works).
- is translated from a language that is not well known in the United States to a language that is clearly better known, provided that no English translation is available (e.g.,Vietnamese to French, Chinese to German, Kikuyu to Swahili).
In making the decision to acquire any translations, the existence in the Library's collections of one or more editions of other translations will be taken into consideration.
Notes:
(1) Formerly Acquisitions Policy Statement No. 8.
May 1975