wikisource.org

Multilingual Wikisource (wikisource.org) is the central hub for works in all languages and for connecting the separate language-specific Wikisource projects. A language-specific site, such as English Wikisource, hosts works in that language under its own subdomain. The practical rule is: a work goes to a language subdomain when that language has one and its policies allow the work; otherwise it belongs on the multilingual site.

What Multilingual Wikisource Hosts

According to the site's Main Page, the multilingual project is intended for four kinds of material:

• Works in multiple languages
• Works in languages that do not have their own language subdomain, such as languages with a small corpus
• Works made up of non-linguistic content
• Works in languages that do have subdomains but cannot be hosted there because of those sites' specific policies

The last point matters most for editors. A language having its own Wikisource does not automatically mean every work in that language belongs there; site-specific policy can push a text to the multilingual project instead.

What Language-Specific Sites Do

Each language subdomain organizes its own collection in its own language and under its own rules. The multilingual Main Page links to these projects and groups them by size:

The multilingual site itself appears in the 10,000+ band, listed alongside the language projects.

How to Decide Where a Work Belongs

1. Identify the language of the work.
2. Check whether that language appears in the size lists on the multilingual Main Page, which indicates an existing subdomain.
3. If no subdomain exists, or the work is multilingual or non-linguistic, use multilingual Wikisource.
4. If a subdomain exists, check that site's policies; if the work cannot be hosted there, it can go on the multilingual site.

The Main Page describes the project as "the free library that anyone can improve," and the same open-editing model applies across the language sites. The page also notes that some of its own content is not marked for translation, so interface text may vary between the central site and the language projects.

A Concrete Example

A short text in a language with only a small written corpus and no subdomain of its own has no language site to go to, so it belongs on multilingual Wikisource. A Portuguese novel, by contrast, belongs on the Portuguese Wikisource, which sits in the 100,000+ band. A bilingual edition pairing two languages would also fit the multilingual project, since it is a work in multiple languages rather than a single-language text.

Key Takeaway

Use the multilingual site as the entry point and the fallback: it connects all language projects, lists them by size, and hosts what the language sites cannot. Use a language subdomain for ordinary single-language works once that language has its own project and its policies permit the text.

Go to wikisource.org and use the language lists on the Main Page. The page groups language editions by how many works they hold — 100,000+, 10,000+, 1,000+, 100+, and under 100 — and each language name links to that language's Wikisource project. If your language has no separate site of its own, look for it on Multilingual Wikisource, which hosts works in all languages and connects the language-specific projects.

What the Main Page gives you

The Main Page of wikisource.org is the entry point for every Wikisource edition. Its central section is a set of size bands, each listing language names as links:

The band a language appears in tells you roughly how much material that edition holds, so you can judge before clicking whether it is likely to have the text you want.

Step by step

1. Open wikisource.org. The Main Page loads in English, with the heading "Welcome to Wikisource, the free library that anyone can improve."
2. Decide which band your language is likely to be in. Large languages with long written traditions usually sit in the upper bands; smaller or newly started editions sit lower.
3. Scan the language names in that band. Names are written in their own script (for example 中文, עברית, العربية), so look for the script rather than an English translation.
4. Click the language name. You land on that language's Wikisource project, where you can search and browse its works.
5. If you don't find your language in any band, check Multilingual Wikisource — the site you are already on — which hosts works in languages without their own subdomain.

Expected result: you arrive at a Wikisource site in your language, with its own search box and catalogue of texts.

When your language has no separate site

Multilingual Wikisource exists for exactly this case. According to the Main Page, works hosted here include:

• works in multiple languages;
• works in languages that do not have their own language subdomain, such as languages with a small corpus;
• works made up of non-linguistic content;
• works in languages that do have subdomains but cannot be hosted there because of those sites' own policies.

So if your language is missing from the size bands, search this multilingual site instead of assuming no Wikisource content exists in that language.

Common snags

• Looking for an English name. The lists use native language names, so "German" appears as Deutsch and "Russian" as Русский. Search the page for the native form.
• Assuming a small band means nothing useful. A < 100 edition can still hold the specific text you need; the band reflects total volume, not relevance.
• Confusing this page with a language edition. wikisource.org is the multilingual hub. Once you click a language, you are on a separate project with its own pages and search.
• Missing languages with subdomains but policy restrictions. Some works sit on Multilingual Wikisource even though their language has its own site, because that site's policies exclude them.

Deciding where to start

If you want the widest selection in a major language, start with a 100,000+ edition such as English, Deutsch, or Français. If you are working in a smaller language, go straight to its band and click through; if it isn't listed, use Multilingual Wikisource. Either way, the Main Page's banded lists are the fastest route from "I need texts in language X" to the project that holds them.

Wikisource is a free online library that anyone can improve, and it hosts source texts rather than encyclopedia articles. The main Wikisource site at wikisource.org is the multilingual hub: it holds works that don't fit a single language edition, and it connects the separate language-specific Wikisource projects. Use it when you need a primary text (a book, document, or transcript) rather than a summary of one.

What kind of content lives on wikisource.org

The multilingual site is explicitly a home for works that the language subdomains can't or won't take. According to the site's main page, works hosted there include:

• Works in multiple languages — texts that mix or parallel several languages and therefore don't belong to one language edition.
• Works in languages without their own subdomain — for example, languages with a small corpus that hasn't met the threshold for a separate project.
• Works made up of non-linguistic content — material that isn't primarily running text.
• Works excluded by a language site's own policies — languages that do have a subdomain, but whose local rules prevent hosting a particular work, can still place it on the multilingual site.

That last point is the practical one for readers: if you can't find a text on, say, the English or French Wikisource, the multilingual site is a legitimate second place to look.

How the language editions are organized

The main page groups language projects by how many works they hold, which is a quick way to judge whether a language edition is likely to have what you need:

A larger tier generally means a deeper catalog, but it says nothing about whether one specific title is present — check the edition itself.

Deciding whether Wikisource is the right source

• Choose Wikisource when you want the text itself: a novel, speech, treaty, or historical document, ideally with a scan or source behind it, and you want to read, quote, or verify the wording.
• Choose Wikipedia instead when you want context, summary, or analysis of a work rather than its text.
• Choose the language-specific edition when the work is in one language and that edition exists; the multilingual site is the fallback, not the default.
• Expect community editing. The site describes itself as a library "anyone can improve," so texts are transcribed and corrected by volunteers. For citation-grade accuracy, compare against the linked scan or source when one is available.

A concrete case: if you need a public-domain novel in English, go to the English Wikisource (in the 100,000+ tier). If you need a short text in a language with only a few dozen works, or a document that switches between two languages, start at wikisource.org and use its language listings to find the right project.

Yes. Wikisource describes itself on its main page as "the free library that anyone can improve," so contribution is open to any reader — you do not need special credentials to start. What you actually edit is the text of individual works and their supporting pages, not the main page layout itself. The main page is a navigation hub: it links to language-specific projects grouped by size (100,000+, 10,000+, 1,000+, 100+, and under 100 articles) and to the multilingual collection. Editing happens on the work pages you reach from those links.

What "editing" means on Wikisource

Wikisource is a library of source texts, so contributing usually means improving an existing work page rather than writing something new. Typical tasks include correcting transcription errors, fixing formatting, adding links, and completing partially transcribed texts. The main page also notes that this multilingual site hosts works in multiple languages, works in languages without their own subdomain, non-linguistic content, and works that cannot be hosted on a language-specific site because of that site's policies — so the right place to edit depends on which project the work belongs to.

The editing entry points you will see

Each page carries a standard toolset. On the main page these appear as:

• Read — view the current version of the page.
• View source — open the wikitext for editing (the label shown on this page; on pages where direct editing is enabled you will see an edit option instead).
• View history — see every past revision of the page.
• What links here and Related changes — find pages that point to this one and recent changes in linked pages.
• Permanent link — get a stable URL for the exact version you are viewing.
• Page information — metadata about the page.

These same tools appear on work pages, which is where you will spend your editing time.

A practical first edit

1. Pick a language project from the main page — for example, a large one such as English, French, German, Russian, or Chinese, or the Multilingual Wikisource if the work has no dedicated subdomain.
2. Open a work page and choose View source (or the edit option) to see the text.
3. Make a small, specific correction — a typo, a broken line break, a missing heading.
4. Save, then open View history to confirm your change is recorded and to see how others describe their edits. The edit summary field is where you briefly say what you changed and why.
5. Use Related changes to watch whether your edit affects pages that transclude the text.

Expected result: your revision appears in the page history under your account or IP, and the current version shows the corrected text.

Common sticking points

• The page is protected or shows "View source" instead of an edit link. The main page itself is a high-traffic page and is typically protected; work pages are the normal editing surface.
• You are on the wrong project. A work in a language with its own subdomain usually belongs there, not on Multilingual Wikisource. Check the language lists on the main page before editing.
• Formatting looks odd after saving. Wikisource texts often rely on templates and transclusion from scanned pages; changing one line can affect how a whole section displays. Preview before saving and check the history if something breaks.
• No account yet. You can read and inspect source without one, but creating an account makes your contributions attributable and gives you a watchlist for tracking pages.

Before you start

Read the existing page's history and its language project's local policies first — the main page explicitly notes that some works are excluded from language subdomains because of site-specific rules, and the same rules govern how texts should be formatted. Starting with a small correction on a page you have read carefully is the lowest-risk way to learn the workflow.