Q. I see nothing in CMS about indicating the language a book is translated from, which seems shortsighted. Thanks.
A. In any context where readers might not be able to guess the original language of a title and would find the information helpful, the writer or editor can annotate the citation (e.g., “Translated from Incan”). Usually, however, in notes and bibliographies many or most of the translated works are either from familiar languages or from unfamiliar languages that have been discussed and identified throughout the text. In that case, it would be tiresome and patronizing to repeatedly point out the obvious.