MLA Style for Modern Languages

• In Spanish, de is not usually treated as part of the last name.
  • Las Casas (Bartolomé de Las Casas)
  • Cervantes (Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra)
• The Spanish del, formed from the combination of de + el, is capitalized and used with the last name alone.
  • Del Toro (Guillermo del Toro)
• Alphabetize Spanish surnames by full surname, even for people who more commonly go by the maternal portions of their surnames:
  • García Lorca, Frederico
  • García Márquez, Gabriel
  • Ortega y Gasset, José
  • Ruiz Zafon, Carlos
  • Vargas Llosa, Mario

• If you'd like to clarify the meaning of a title, provide a translation in square brackets:
  • Genganere [Ghosts].
  • L'Hôte [The Guest].

• Per the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook, you should capitalize only the first word and words normally capitalized in titles and subtitles.
  • El amor en los tiempos del cólera
  • Cenizas de Izalco
  • La muerte de Artemio Cruz
  • Cien años de soledad

However, when citing journal titles, some authors choose to capitalize all major words.

• Revista Española de Cirugía Ortopédica y Traumatología

• Many foreign cities go by a different name in English. To clarify, you can give the city's English name in [brackets], or use the English name if it's more appropriate.  Even though newer editions of MLA style don't require a location of publication, including one can be particularly helpful for resources published outside of the United States.
  • Firenze [Florence]
  • Bruxelles [Brussels]