Fremdsprachentitel

Fremdsprachentitel is a term used in German-speaking bibliographic and media contexts to denote a work’s title in a language other than the language of the edition or the catalog’s primary language. It is commonly applied when describing works in German-language references that originate in or are distributed under a non-German title.

In practice, Fremdsprachentitel appears alongside the German title in catalogs, bibliographies, film databases, and scholarly references. While the German title (Deutscher Titel) identifies how the work is presented to German readers, the Fremdsprachentitel provides the version used in the work’s original language or in another non-German market. This helps users recognize the work across languages and markets and supports accurate identification when titles differ significantly between languages.

The term is closely related to, but distinct from, Originaltitel (the work’s title in its original language). Many cataloging rules encourage listing both: the Fremdsprachentitel as it appears in the source language and the German or localized title for the user’s context. The choice of which foreign-language title to designate as the Fremdsprachentitel can depend on the applicable style guide or cataloging practice (for example, depending on whether the source language or a commonly used market title is preferred).

Typical examples include the Italian original Il nome della rosa for Umberto Eco’s novel commonly known in German as Der Name der Rose, or other works where the foreign title is essential for precise identification. Fremdsprachentitel thus aids cross-language clarity in reference works and collections.