Turnitin has become the world’s most trusted tool for academic integrity. From high schools to universities, it’s the standard for checking originality in assignments, essays, and research papers. But as students and researchers increasingly write in different languages — and as AI tools like ChatGPT change the way writing is produced — new questions are emerging:
Can Turnitin detect plagiarism in Arabic, Spanish, German, and French?
Does it also spot AI-generated writing in these languages?
And is it the same product as iThenticate, which many publishers use?
Let’s dive into the answers.
Multilingual Plagiarism Detection
The good news is yes — Turnitin can detect plagiarism in Arabic, Spanish, German, and French.
Here’s how it works:
When you submit a document, Turnitin checks it against billions of web pages, academic publications, and previously submitted student papers.
If your French essay borrows from an online article, or your Spanish research paper copies text from a journal, Turnitin will flag it in the Similarity Report.
The same goes for German dissertations and Arabic-language assignments.
That said, coverage can vary by language:
Spanish, German, and French enjoy excellent coverage due to their strong online and academic presence.
Arabic is also supported, but because fewer Arabic sources are indexed compared to English or European languages, coverage may be somewhat narrower.
In short: Turnitin works across these languages — but its strongest detection is still in English and widely published European languages.
AI Writing Detection
Since 2023, Turnitin has also offered an AI writing detection tool, developed to help educators spot text that may have been written by systems like ChatGPT.
Here’s what you need to know:
Most accurate in English: AI writing detection was trained primarily on English datasets.
Limited support in other languages: For Arabic, Spanish, German, and French, the detection tool is less reliable and should be considered experimental.
Use with caution: It can provide clues, but educators are encouraged to interpret results carefully when dealing with non-English submissions.
So while plagiarism detection is multilingual and reliable, AI writing detection is currently strongest in English and evolving for other languages.
Turnitin vs. iThenticate
Turnitin and iThenticate often get mentioned together — and for good reason. They share the same core plagiarism-checking technology, but they serve different audiences:
Turnitin: Built for education. Teachers and students use it to check coursework, essays, and assignments. It integrates with learning platforms like Moodle, Blackboard, and Canvas.
iThenticate: Built for research publishing. Academics and publishers use it to scan theses, dissertations, and manuscripts before journal submission.
In other words, iThenticate is for professionals and researchers, while Turnitin is for classrooms.
Summary
Plagiarism Detection: Works in Arabic, Spanish, German, and French, alongside English and many other languages.
AI Writing Detection: Most accurate in English; still developing for other languages, including Arabic, Spanish, German, and French.
iThenticate vs. Turnitin: Same underlying technology, but different users — Turnitin for students/educators, iThenticate for researchers/publishers.
Turnitin continues to adapt to the changing landscape of academic writing. For plagiarism detection, it’s a reliable tool across multiple languages, including Arabic, Spanish, German, and French. For AI writing detection, it’s currently best in English, with non-English support on the way as the technology matures.
And if you’re wondering whether Turnitin and iThenticate are the same — the answer is no. They share the same DNA, but serve very different purposes: one in the classroom, the other in the world of research publishing.
Either way, both platforms remain central to protecting academic integrity in a multilingual, AI-powered world.
