🔊 Pronunciation: /trænsˈlɪtəˌreɪt/
🗣️ Part of Speech: Verb
Definition:
To transliterate means to write or represent letters or words of one writing system using the closest corresponding characters of another writing system.
It does not translate the meaning, it focuses on how the word sounds and represents that sound in a different script.
Examples:
- "The name محمد is transliterated as Muhammad in English."
- "Please transliterate the Russian word ‘Москва’, it becomes Moskva."
- "Many Indian names are transliterated into English for passports and legal documents."
(It still refers to the same name, just written in the Latin alphabet.)
(Not 'Moscow' — that’s translation. ‘Moskva’ is how it sounds.)
(It helps preserve pronunciation even when scripts change.)
🧠 Bonus Tip:
- Translate = convert meaning between languages.
- Transliterate = convert letters/sounds between scripts.