UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: Modern Languages: Start Search: Tips and Databases for Research in Modern Languages

Tips for Searching in Languages other than English

Search topic using terms in the language of study or English
Use the Language filter to select the preferred language to retrieve results and if necessary exclude English or other languages from the results. In some databases, you may have to used the "Advanced Search" option to select the language (i.e. in JSTOR)
Titles and abstracts may be in English even if the article is written in another language
Confirm that the work is in the language of study, look for "Language" or "Language of publication" under "Details" in Search@UW and/or database filter
Consult specific language LibGuide pages for specific Spanish and French resources

Library Terms in Languages other than English

Multilingual Glossary of Library Terms
PDF Document includes English to Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, French, and Arabic translations of many common library terms.

Bilingual Dictionaries

WordReference
Free online bilingual dictionaries for French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan.
Google Translate
Enter text or upload documents to translate to and from most languages.
Lexilogos
Index of a online dictionaries in a variety of world languages.
Reverso Dictionary
Online bilingual dictionary in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.

Databases for Research in World Languages

Mango Languages
Self-paced language learning modules for over 70 languages.
MLA International Bibliography
MLA International Bibliography indexes international scholarly materials, including over 4,400 journals, books, working papers, and conference proceedings on language, literature, linguistics, and folklore. It is updated 10 times a year.
JSTOR
Archival and current issues of more than 2,400 scholarly journals across more than 60 academic disciplines (title lists) along with a growing number of open access ebooks. The UW-Milwaukee Libraries have acquired access to JSTOR collections Arts and Sciences I-VIII and the subject collections for Biological Sciences, Jewish Studies and Ireland.
Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts
This database abstracts and indexes the international literature in linguistics and related disciplines in the language sciences. The database covers all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Documents indexed include journal articles, book reviews, books, book chapters, dissertations and working papers.
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
Ethnic NewsWatch incorporates both current Ethnic NewsWatch and Ethnic NewsWatch: A History, providing a full-text collection of more than 2.5 million articles from over 330 titles, from 1959 to current. Ethnicities include: African American/Caribbean/African; Arab/Middle Eastern; Asian/Pacific Islander; European/Eastern European; Hispanic; Jewish; Native People.
Humanities International Complete
Humanities International Complete includes all data from Humanities International Index (more than 2,100 journals and 2.47 million records) plus unique full text content. The database includes full text for more than 890 journals.
Project Muse
Provides digital humanities and social sciences content with full text access to 350 journals and select full text access to ebooks. Limit to subscribed full text using the advanced search and selecting, "Only content I have access to".
Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete is a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 7,000 full-text periodicals, including nearly 6,000 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 11,000 journals and a total of more than 11,600 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 journals.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar searches academic publishers, professional societies and pre-print archives.
WorldCat
WorldCat holds tens of millions of bibliographic records that represent more than one billion items. It encompasses hundreds of languages and all formats, including rapidly growing numbers of electronic resources and digital objects.

Search for Sources in Languages other than English

For example: You'd like to find books in Spanish about Pablo Picasso to check out from the UWM Libraries and request from other UW-System Libraries.

Start with an Advanced Search in Search@UW
Enter your search terms or keywords in the "Any Field" box (in this case: Pablo Picasso)
Use the "Language" drop down menu to select your language

This first results list includes:

Translations of books that were originally written in Spanish and are now translated into English or another foreign language
Books with Spanish and (usually) English side-by-side translations
Books written in Spanish

To further refine your search to include only untranslated books (i.e., books in Spanish):

You must "Exclude" other languages
The final results list includes only books written in Spanish that are available at the UWM Libraries and other UW-System Libraries

International Newspapers

Access World News Research Collection
U.S. and international news sources offering viewpoints on local, regional and global issues. Date coverage varies with individual newspaper.
Newspapers.com Library Edition - World Collection. This link opens in a new window
Newspapers.com Library Edition - World Collection contains historical newspapers from the 1700s - 2000s. Included are thousands of well-known regional, state, and small local newspapers in the United States and other countries. There are 150 Wisconsin-specific titles including the Janesville Daily Gazette, the Racine Daily Herald, the Eau Claire Leader, and many more.

Worldpress
Worldpress.org contains articles reprinted from the press outside the United States, as well as originally written material. Reprinted articles are subject to editing, translation, and excerpting. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Streaming Video in Languages other than English

Docuseek
A collection of independent, social-issue and environmental documentaries. Producers and distributors include Bullfrog, Collective Eye, dGenerate, First Run Features, GOOD DOCS, Icarus, and Women Make Movies.
Film Platform Collection
Innovative collaboration between leading filmmakers and film distributors from around the world bringing the finest documentary films to an academic audience. [This] global selection of films includes many Oscar nominated documentaries and film festival winners. These titles, chosen for their mastery of filmmaking, introduce new concepts, expose students to fresh perspectives, and enhance classroom discussions
Films On Demand This link opens in a new window
Films on Demand is a streaming video collection of over 25,000 high-quality digital programs and video clips, covering topics in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, business and economics, and health.
Subjects covered include: Anthropology, Area Studies, Art & Architecture, Biology, Business & Economics, Communication, Computers & Technology, Criminal Justice, Earth Science, Education, English & Language Arts, Environmental Science, Geography, Health & Medicine, History, Mathematics, Music & Dance, Philosophy & Religion, Physical Science, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and World Languages. Access also includes an Archival Films & Newsreels Collection.
Kanopy
Documentaries and feature films for course use. We will not lease films for individual recreational viewing. See Kanopy FAQ for more information.
LGBT Studies in Video
LGBT Studies in Video is a cinematic survey of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as well as the cultural and political evolution of the LGBT community
Swank Digital Campus
Swank Digital Campus offers 1,000 selected feature films and documentaries produced by major Hollywood and independent studios. Films are licensed for individual student, staff and classroom use but do not include public performance rights.