transliteration
Alphabet-to-alphabet rendering
Transliteration is the conversion of text from one writing system to another, letter by letter or character by character.
Unlike translation, which conveys meaning, transliteration conveys sound: the Russian name Михаил becomes Mikhail in English letters.
The transliteration of Arabic names varies—Muhammad, Mohammed, and Mohamed all represent the same name.
Japanese phonetic alphabet
Script-to-alphabet conversion process
- latinizationAdapting to Roman patterns
- anglicizationAdapting to English conventions
- pinyinChinese-to-alphabet conversion system
- YaleIvy League institution
Minimal written symbol unit
- script conversionChanging text between alphabets
- diacriticsMarks altering letter pronunciation
- reversibilityCan be undone
- digraphTwo letters, one sound
Converting data to format
- renderingInterpretive depiction or performance
- text processingManipulating written digital content
- OCRMachine reading of images
- digital archivesElectronically stored historical records
Adopted foreign vocabulary
- borrowed termsWords taken from other languages
- place namesGeographic designations
- personal namesIdentifying labels for individuals
- brand namesProprietary product identifiers
signage · wayfinding · cultural exchange · heritage language · cross-cultural communication
Chart showing speech sounds
- accent marksCharacters altering pronunciation
- phonetic spellingTranscription based on pronunciation
hiragana
Japanese phonetic alphabet
romanization
Script-to-alphabet conversion process
- latinizationAdapting to Roman patterns
- anglicizationAdapting to English conventions
- pinyinChinese-to-alphabet conversion system
grapheme
Minimal written symbol unit
- script conversionChanging text between alphabets
- diacriticsMarks altering letter pronunciation
- reversibilityCan be undone
encoding
Converting data to format
- renderingInterpretive depiction or performance
- text processingManipulating written digital content
- OCRMachine reading of images
loanwords
Adopted foreign vocabulary
- borrowed termsWords taken from other languages
- place namesGeographic designations
- personal namesIdentifying labels for individuals
brand names · signage · wayfinding · cultural exchange · heritage language · cross-cultural communication
pronunciation guide
Chart showing speech sounds
- accent marksCharacters altering pronunciation
- phonetic spellingTranscription based on pronunciation
- languagelanguage, word, words, grammar, spelling
- language toolsdictionary, translation, translator, thesaurus, grammar books
- translationtranslator, free translation, French translation, interpreting, interpreter
- Egyptologypyramids, pyramid, pharaohs, pharaoh, hieroglyphs
- Hebrewaleph, bet, Modern Hebrew, ancient Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet
- HindiDevanagari script, verb conjugation, tenses, pronouns, nouns
transliterationtranslation
Converting between languages
interpretation · paraphrase · localization · transcreation · free translation