Some standard codes would be useful and Rebecca indicates that we might
develop some. However, one of the problems with transliteration is that
there are "thousands " of schemes, even though there is good
standardization of romanization in the library community in the US with the
ALA/LC schemes (and they are used in some places outside the US also).
Transliteration was originally sound system based, which meant, for
example, that the different pronunciation of the roman characters in
different languages meant romanizations would be different. My impression
is that more roman alphabet languages use the ALA tables now just for
convenience and economy in sharing bibliographic records, even if they do
not exactly fit their sound system.
Then there is the probelm of the common transliteration that becomes the
norm for names in many cases. Although the trnasliteration may not be
exactly as the scheme used in a library would dictate, it is adopted
because users recognize it. The transliteration scheme behind the name may
not even be known.
But all that said, it seems to me that codes for well known schemes that
hold for words except perhaps a few names in a bib record would be good --
as long as we remember they will not be perfect. Or use at least the name
as Barbara suggested.
Sally
At 02:17 PM 7/22/2004 -0400, you wrote:
>There currently isn't a code list for transliteration schemes. ISO has a
>script code list, but not transliteration. So in the absence of one, I
>think using the name of the scheme would be helpful. We probably need to
>consider establishing a list of these so that people use standard forms.
>
>Rebecca
>
>On Thu, 22 Jul 2004, Barbara B Tillett wrote:
>
>> If it hasn't already been decided, perhaps it could be the
>> transliteration standard that is followed, e.g., ALA/LC or ISO or maybe
>> the name of the transliteration scheme when there are such, like
>> Wade-Giles or pinyin for Chinese or McCune/Reischauer for Korean, etc. -
>> Barbara Tillett
>>
>> >>> [log in to unmask] 7/21/2004 5:39:51 PM >>>
>> I was chatting with someone interested in coding a title as
>> transliterated. I don't even know what this means, so looked to the
>> docs for an example, and found only this:
>>
>> <titleInfo lang="rus" script="Latn" transliteration="Code to be
>> determined ">
>> <title>Geodezja i urzadzenia roline.</title>
>> </titleInfo>
>>
>> Um, is the code any closer to being determined, and what might it look
>> like?
>>
>> Bruce
>>
>
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Sally H. McCallum, Chief, Network Development and
MARC Standards Office, Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20540 USA
[log in to unmask] (Fax: 1-202-707 0115) (Voice: 1-202-707 5119)
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