Yes, and it is one of the most common ways articles in smaller language editions get started. Wikipedia even provides a built-in translation tool that helps volunteers carry an article from one language into another. Because all Wikipedia content is freely licensed, translation is allowed, as long as the new article credits the original it came from, which the tool handles automatically.
But a translation is a new article in a new edition, not a copy that inherits the original's standing. It still has to meet the destination edition's inclusion rules, its sourcing standards, and various language-specific expectations. Raw machine translation is a common reason translated articles get deleted: volunteers recognize it quickly and treat it as low effort at best. A good translation is reworked by a fluent writer, with sources adjusted to what that edition accepts and, where possible, local-language coverage added.
For companies, one more rule applies: translating your own article is still writing about yourself. If you or someone you pay produces the translation, the same disclosure requirements and conflict of interest rules apply as for any other edit in that edition, and the right path is usually to submit it for review rather than publish it directly.
Last updated September 27, 2026.
