transliteration
2 synonyms for transliteration, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The process of writing a word from one alphabet using the letters of another, so that the sounds are preserved rather than the meaning translated.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use transliteration
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
standard transliteration
transliteration system
transliteration of Arabic
phonetic transliteration
Neutral and slightly technical; common in linguistics, publishing, religious texts and passport or visa paperwork.
Etymology
From Latin trans- 'across' and littera 'letter', so literally 'carrying letters across' from one alphabet to another.
Full origin of transliteration →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between transliteration and translation?
Translation carries the meaning of a word into another language, while transliteration only carries the sound into another alphabet. Translating the Greek βιβλίον gives 'book'; transliterating it gives 'biblion'. Transliteration tells you how to say a word, not what it means.
Is transliteration the same as transcription?
They overlap but are not identical. Transliteration maps letters to letters, so the original spelling can often be reconstructed, whereas phonetic transcription records how a word actually sounds, using symbols such as the IPA regardless of the original spelling.
Why do transliterated names have several spellings?
Because different languages and different official systems map the same foreign letter to different Latin letters. The Arabic name transliterated as Mohammed, Muhammad and Mohamed is one word in the original script.
