What Is Transliteration?

Let’s pretend you are joining a global forum, interacting with people from around the world. On each badge, you see words in another language, using letters you haven’t seen before. 北京大学 or مرحبًا — is that a company name or someone’s name? And more importantly, how should you pronounce it?

These situations occur in global business. When text uses a different alphabet, translating is not enough. You also need transliteration.

Let’s explore the differences between translation and transliteration, as well as their roles in international communication.

What Does Transliteration Mean?

Transliteration illustrates how a word sounds, not what it means. Technically, this is a process where you represent a word from one language using the alphabet of another.

For example, transliteration turns the Arabic word مرحبًا into marhaban. You might not know the translation, but you see how to say it correctly using Latin letters. In fact, transliteration doesn’t always use Latin letters, since the choice of letters depends on the audience.

Types of Transliteration

People use transliteration in different ways depending on the purpose. The two main types are phonetic and orthographic transliterations.

Phonetic transliteration shows how to say a foreign word correctly.  It helps speakers say the word correctly in conversation. The Japanese word ありがとう uses Latin letters as arigato, so people can read and say it easily.

Orthographic transliteration helps people write words in another alphabet but keep their original look. The Greek word ευχαριστώ (which means “thank you”) uses Latin letters as eucharisto. Writers, companies, and researchers use this style in books, documents, and brand names to show the word’s origin.

So, phonetic transliteration helps with speaking, while orthographic transliteration aids in writing and helps people recognize names and words easily.

Transliteration vs. Translation

Even if people know the transliteration definition, they often mix it up with translation, and it’s easy to understand why. Both deal with foreign words, but they solve different problems.

Let’s break down the differences.

Meaning or Sound?

Translation explains what a word or phrase means. For instance, you translate the Italian word ciao as “hello” in English. 

On the other hand, transliteration shows how you should pronounce it properly. It rewrites the word using letters you know, so you can read and say it.

Another example, the Arabic city “دبي” becomes Dubai. You might not know the meaning just from the letters, but you can say it the right way.

Applying Translation and Transliteration

Companies use transliteration to keep names and brands familiar, no matter the language. For example, the tech company Xiaomi sounds almost the same in English and Japanese, even though the original Chinese characters are 小米. Instead of struggling with unfamiliar letters, people can read and pronounce transliterated names, places, or products.

Translation shows that Xiaomi literally means “little rice.” However, the company does not highlight this meaning. Instead, it uses only the transliteration, so the brand sounds the same in every language.

Some businesses require both meaning and pronunciation, which is why transliteration and translation go hand in hand.

When Transliteration Is Used

Here, we focus on situations in which the pronunciation of a word matters more than its meaning. About half of international companies use transliteration to represent their brand or product abroad.

Here are the most common cases:

Traveling

Signs, maps, and city names often use a local and sometimes unfamiliar alphabet. Transliteration helps people read them and figure out where to go. 

For example, the Japanese city 東京 appears as Tokyo, and the Thai resort ภูเก็ต as Phuket. This way, travelers can recognize place names on signs, tickets, and maps more easily.

Professional Communication

In international meetings and emails, people need to say names and company, brand, or product names correctly. This is especially important for foreign partners to build respect and understanding. 

For example, the Chinese name 李 becomes Li, so colleagues from other countries easily pronounce it.

Global Marketing

Companies use transliteration to make their names easy to read in any language. Brands like  IKEA or Xiaomi use Latin letters so everyone can say them without trouble in any country. Customers recognize known names faster and trust them more.

Language Learning

Transliteration helps people who struggle with a new language to read and speak it. The point is that transliteration shows the word with familiar letters, so learners can pronounce it.

For example, people write the Japanese word ありがとう as arigato. Translation shows its meaning (“thank you”), while transliteration shows how to pronounce it.

Problems in Transliteration

The process of writing a word from another language using the letters of your own language seems simple. You listen to the sounds and try to write them down. However, it can be tricky because different alphabets and sound systems make it difficult to capture the exact pronunciation. Here are common issues that can arise in transliteration.

• One letter, different sounds: The same letter can have various sounds in different languages. For example, there is a noticeable difference between “r” in English and Spanish. It’s not critical, but the word may sound odd.
• No exact sounds: Some sounds don’t exist in another alphabet at all. For example, one cannot write the Arabic “ع” or the Japanese “つ” precisely in Latin letters. Transliteration in these cases gives an approximate version, but not an exact one.
• Incompatible systems: There isn’t one universal rule for transliteration. Companies, mapping services, and governments often use their own systems, so the same word can look different depending on the context.
• Loss of cultural nuance: When words are written in another alphabet, they can lose part of their identity or emotional tone. A brand name that sounds pleasant or interesting in one language may seem flat or confusing in another.

Despite all these challenges, careful transliteration helps people and companies communicate clearly and confidently across languages.

Conclusion

So, what is transliteration? It is the process of representing words from one alphabet using the letters of another. Transliteration helps people read and pronounce words from other alphabets. It works together with translation to make communication easier in business, travel, and learning.

If you need help with transliteration, Rapid Translate can help. Our team of translators will handle your text carefully, following all official requirements and transliteration rules.

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