![]() Decent translation software should be able to deliver both translation and transliteration, for example. If you’re working on a transliteration project, you will likely need many of the same tools as if you were working on a translation. If you want to deliver the meaning of the text though, rather than simply want to pronounce it, you’ll need to opt for translation. If pronunciation is the desired outcome, then transliteration makes sense. Ultimately, the decision between transliteration and translation will come down to the purpose of the document. When we consider Ethnologue’s assertion that 4,065 of the world’s 7,139 living languages have a developed writing system, the value of transliteration quickly becomes clear, even accounting for the fact that some of these 4,065 languages use the same script (at least 100 languages, for example, use the Latin alphabet). ![]() This makes transliteration an incredibly useful communication tool between parties who use different scripts. Transliteration can work with any of these scripts to produce a document that will enable the target audience to pronounce the words. I’ve used Chinese above, but you can also use transliteration when working between the Latin alphabet and the Cyrillic alphabet (as used in Russia, Bulgaria, and elsewhere), Hindi’s Devanagari script (also known as Nagari), Japanese Kanji characters, and any other script which differs from that used for your source language. You can use transliteration with any language pairing where the two languages use different alphabets. This brings me to the uses and purpose of transliteration vs translation. Mandarin transliteration: pāo zhuān yǐn yùįor someone who wants to hold a conversation in Mandarin that includes these phrases, but doesn’t read Chinese characters, transliteration is clearly a huge help. Now let’s use the same idioms as transliteration examples. Mandarin translation: 抛砖引玉 (literally: to cast a brick to attract jade)Īs we saw above, making the decision to translate vs transliterate is fine if the document you’re working on is intended for someone who can read the characters of the target language. Mandarin translation: 全力以赴 (literally: to exert all your strength) I’ll start with some examples of translation, using three Chinese idioms. Translate Vs Transliterate: Examples of Translation This provides the reader with at least a passing chance of being able to pronounce ‘good evening’ in Mandarin. ![]() Transliterate vs translate, however, and you get ‘Wǎnshàng hǎo’ when using the Latin alphabet. However, if they can’t, the translation quickly becomes pointless. This is fine if the person who will be reading your translation can read Mandarin. If you translate ‘good evening’ into Simplified Chinese, you get ‘晚上好’. I’m going to dive straight into a transliteration example to explain what I mean here. Again, this makes for a speedier process. And as transliteration simply converts each word, you also don’t need to worry about grammar, word order, sentence structure, and so on. You’re cutting the need to convert the language into another script out of the process, meaning it is often much faster to transliterate than translate. The goal is for the reader to be able to pronounce the words in the target language.įor a translator, it’s worth noting that transliteration can be a much faster process than translation. Transliteration, on the other hand, is the process of converting language from one script to another. The goal is for the target language to convey the meaning of the words. ![]() In simple terms, translation is the process of converting one language to another. Today, I want to look at the difference between translation and transliteration. I’ve been exploring various bits of language industry terminology recently (such as taking a look at the back translation and its uses). What Is the Difference Between Translation and Transliteration? What is the difference between translation and transliteration? I will explore this topic in depth below, including defining translation vs transliteration, providing a few transliteration examples, and examining when it’s best to translate vs transliterate. ![]()
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