# translator-part?
**URL:** https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/translator-part/432
**Category:** CSL Development
**Created:** [February 18, 2008, 5:30am UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/translator-part/432 "2008-02-18T05:30:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Elena\_Razlogova](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Elena_Razlogova)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 5:30am UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/translator-part/432/1 "2008-02-18T05:30:35Z")
It seems CSL should have “translator-part” variable in addition to
“translator”–see this request from Zotero forums:
> **[translator field missing in MLA bibliography output](https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/1113/translator-field-missing-in-mla-bibliography-output/#Item_7)**
>
> Hi. I cannot get Zotero to output the translator field (modified author field) in MLA bibliography format.
> What I want is this:
> Lyotard, Jean-Francois. “Acinema.” Trans. Paisley Livingston.
> _Narrative, Apparatus, Ideology_. Ed. Philip Rosen. New York:
> Columbia University Press, 1986.
>
> What I get is this:
> Lyotard, Jean-Francois. “Acinema.” _Narrative, Apparatus, Ideology_.
> Ed. Philip Rosen. Trans. Paisley Livingston. New York: Columbia
> University Press, 1986. [translator appears following the book
> title, rather than following the section title]
>
> Seems minor, I know, but this error makes it seem like the whole
> book is translated by Paisley Livingston, whereas it is only the
> section/chapter that is a translation.
Best,
Elena
---
### Author:  [@Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bruce_D_Arcus1)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/translator-part/432/2 "2008-02-18T15:25:31Z")
Elena Razlogova wrote:
> It seems CSL should have “translator-part” variable in addition to
> “translator”–see this request from Zotero forums:
Not for this case, since the translator is in fact the translator for
the cited item.
But yes, this exposes the problems of simplification/flattening that
we’ve adopted that has come up earlier.
What the rule is saying is really something like:
… or, thinking about macros more …
… or some such.
I don’t know what to do about this. It seems to me we could make the
change to get rid of these flattening conventions for contributors, and
make everything specific. That might cause some short-term pain though?
Bruce
---
### Author:  [@Elena\_Razlogova](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Elena_Razlogova)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/translator-part/432/3 "2008-02-19T13:40:17Z")
> Elena Razlogova wrote:
>
> > It seems CSL should have “translator-part” variable in addition to
> > “translator”–see this request from Zotero forums:
>
> Not for this case, since the translator is in fact the translator for
> the cited item.
yes i see now.
> But yes, this exposes the problems of simplification/flattening that
> we’ve adopted that has come up earlier.
>
> I don’t know what to do about this. It seems to me we could make the
> change to get rid of these flattening conventions for contributors,
> and
> make everything specific. That might cause some short-term pain
> though?
I think we’ll definitely have too do it for citing hierarchical item
types in Zotero–there it will be clear whether the translator belongs
to the chapter or the book.
Elena