Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Academy/Working with foreign-language sources

Wikipedia:SOURCE#Non-English_sources says:

English-language sources are preferable to sources in other languages so that readers can easily verify the content of the article. However, sources in other languages are acceptable where an English equivalent is not available. Where editors translate a direct quote, they should quote the relevant portion of the original text in a footnote or in the article. Translations published by reliable sources are preferred over translations made by Wikipedia editors.

For all but the most prominent of national leaders, the most general topics, or the most famous scientists, etc, information and interest in historical figures and incidents is usually highest by far in those countries that were involved in the relevant war or dispute. As a result, full biographies of certain figures or detailed accounts of certain events may only be available in the home language of the said people/events, and are often the difference between a stub and a large article requiring child articles.

Getting a translation

See also: Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Academy/Working with translations

Translations can be done by oneself or with the help of another user if required. Information on translating the material needed as a source can be found at the above link. In particular, it is strongly preferable to use an English source for the referencing of quotes that were originally in English in order to avoid paraphrasing a quote due to a cycle of translation.

NPOV

Despite the quote at the top of the page however, non-English sources can help to ensure better compliance with NPOV, in cases of source conflict that can arise due to factual disagreements, or different analyses of the same data. They can also shed light on the different viewpoints on a certain topic, and how they vary across countries.

However, one also needs to be aware of the historiographical standards and landscape of the academic environment of the foreign language sources, in order to be aware of the bias they may entail. In some countries, academic freedom varies on certain topics, and certain viewpoints are considered taboo.

Government control of high school textbooks

The Japanese history textbook controversies may be the most prominent of such issues, but they are hardly the only case. In the opinion of the author, nationalist distortion of history textbooks is par for the course in Asia. The controversies can cut both ways; in India, some have accused Indian National Congress governments of trying to win the votes of the Muslim community by whitewashing or downplaying the bloodletting during the Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent.

As governments generally have more control over the specific curriculum in high schools, and thereby the content of the textbooks, the quality of high school textbooks as references have been questioned before, not only for academic rigour but for political bias. In general, works by university academics are regarded as being less vulnerable to the political and ideological needs of governments.

Ideological leanings

Aside from the pressure to conform with the prevailing academic consensus (their peers), which can vary from country to country, and thereby language to language, scholars can also come under pressure to not produce material that contradicts the outlook of the country, especially those under authoritarian regimes, or where a strong undercurrent of nationalism is present. This can be particularly true if a government likes to present a certain historical image of itself or its members.

Writers should be aware of the historiographical debate in the country of origin of their source, or the politicisation of academia in that country, be the source English or otherwise, as it can explain the bias in the interpretation of facts, or their outright suppression or fabrication.

Examples

Extensive details are given in the articles.

• Ho Chi Minh and Tang Tuyet Minh: The Vietnamese communist leader and the Vietnamese Communist Party have strongly portrayed Ho as being a lifelong celibate. This they claimed, was a manifestation of his devotion to the country and revolution, as he had no time for a personal life and/or a partner. Writers in Vietnam have been sanctioned for questioning Ho's marital status.
• Truong Dinh and Vietcong: Truong Dinh was a Vietnamese official who fought French colonial forces in southern Vietnam in the 1860s and did so even though Emperor Tu Duc had signed a peace deal to cede territory to France. Dinh is widely regarded as a national hero in Vietnam. The Vietnamese communists in the guise of the Vietcong wanted to portray themselves as the spiritual successors of Dinh, as the Vietcong fought in southern Vietnam against the United States and South Vietnam, which according to them, were US puppets. As the communists likened themselves to Dinh, they had a vested interest in glorifying him to an extreme extent, such as adding irrelevant details about his good looks. In Vietnam, statues depict him as though he had the build of a 21st century athlete, with a triangular torso, etc.
• President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam, a member of the Catholic minority, put his co-religionists in charge of universities. During this period, books in South Vietnam tended to downplay the Vietnamese Catholic involvement in the Le Van Khoi revolt and in assisting various French colonial campaigns, while extolling Le Van Duyet who was the leading general of Gia Long, the founder of the Nguyen Dynasty. Gia Long accepted French military aid from the priest Pigneau de Behaine in seizing the throne. For its part, North Vietnam viewed Gia Long, Duyet and Nguyen Dynasty as "feudal" and "reactionary" and blamed them for laying the foundations for French colonisation through their stance towards Catholic missionaries. After the communist victory, streets and other things in the south named after Le Van Duyet were renamed etc, and a shift in history books also occurred.
• At a recent conference, one person presented a poster comparing the differences between Australian and Bangladeshi universities, having studied under both systems. According to the presentation, Bangladeshi academics are more like politicians and changes in the ruling party are accompanied by mass changes in the academic personnel. As such, the stance of textbooks produced can also be expected to change.