Recommended Practices for Transliteration
These recommendations are for dance names. It is expected that you are using modern Hebrew, without vowel markings, on a computer that may or may not have an international keyboard.
It is assumed that you are dealing with dance names and music filenames.
Avoid double consonants (unless they appear in Hebrew)
Use "Asura" instead of "Assura". Use "Yafa" instead of "Yaffa".
Avoid accent marks on double vowels
Use "Ad Sof Haolam" instead of "Ad Sof Ha'Olam".
Avoid accent marks on search text
Having accent marks in your search text makes it harder to find things. If you want to make the effort, use accent marks in display text or projected text. Use "Tzana" instead of "T'zana".
The letter "i" at the end of a word sounds like "ee"
Use "Tni Li" instead of "Tnee Lee".
The letters "Ee" when used as a complete word sound like "ee"
Specifically used for "אִי" which means Island in the dance "אִי שֶׁל אַהֲבָה".
Note that google transliterates this as "Ei".
The letter "y" when it is a consonant
When a word starts with "י" (yod), it is a consonant and it sounds based on the appropriate vowel.
Avoid using "i" as the first letter of a name to transliterate a "י" (yod) that has a vowel after it
as it is difficult to distinguish from an upper case "I" from a lower case "L".
The word Israel ישראל in a song name
Whenever the Hebrew word for Israel is included in a song name, the English version will have the translation "Israel" and not the transliteration "Yisrael."
The letter "I" when used for "א" or "ע" with an "ee" sound
Use for words like "Ima", "Isha", "Itach", when "אי" is at the beginning of a word. Use for words like "Baim", "Boi", when "אי" is at the middle or end of a word.
The letter "E" when used for "א" or "ע" with an "eh" sound
Use for words like "Eretz", "Emet", "Emek".
The letter "A" when used for "א" or "ע" with an "ah" sound
Use for words like "Baa", "Adama", "Roa".
Noted Exceptions
Use "Ey Hatal" for "אֵי הַטַּל" since the "י" here is a consonant and not a vowel.
Without vowels it may mistakenly be read as "Ee Hatal", but that is not correct.
Use "Joshua" instead of "Yehoshua" for the dance "יהושוע" by Dani Dassa, since this is how it was published.
From Hebrew to English
(א) Aleph = A, sounds like "ah". (אז = Az)
(א) Aleph = E, sounds like "eh". (ארץ = Eretz)
(א) Aleph = I, sounds like "ee". (אמא = Ima)
(א) Aleph = O, sounds like "oh". (אור = Or)
(א) Aleph = U, sounds like "oo". (אולי = Ulay)
(ב) Bet = B like Ball. (בא לה = Ba La)
(ב) Vet = V like Violet. (אהבה = Ahava)
(ג) Gimel = G like Go. (גשם = Geshem)
(ד) Dalet = D like Dog. (דבקה = Debka)
(ה) Hey = H like Hey. (הורה = Hora)
(ו) Vav = V like Vine. (ואולי = Veulay)
(ו) Vav (sometimes "O" or "U")
(ז) Zayin = Z like Zebra. (זמר = Zemer)
(ח) Het = Ch like Bach. (אחי = Achi)
(ט) Tet = T like Tom. (טוב = Tov)
(י) Yod = Y like Ya when it is a consonant (לילה = Layla)
(י) Yod = I as a vowel (שיר = Shir)
(כ) Kaf = K as in kite. ()
(כ) Khaf = ch like Bach. ()
(ל) Lamed = L like Larry. (לא = Lo)
(מ) Mem = M like Mom. ()
(נ) Nun = N like Now. ()
(ס) Samekh = S like Son. ()
(ע) Ayin = ah (עכשיו = Achshav)
(ע) Ayin = eh (ערב = Erev)
(ע) Ayin = ee (שמעון = Shimon)
(ע) Ayin = oo (שמעון = Shimon)
(פ) Pe = P like Peter. (פעם = Paam)
(פ) Fe = F like Frank. (סוף = Sof)
(צ) Tzadi = Tz like cats. (ארץ = Eretz)
(ק) Kuf = K like kite. (בוקר = Boker)
(ר) Resh = R like River. (שרה = Sara)
(ש) Shin = Sh like Shirley. (גשם = Geshem)
(ש) Sin = S like Sam. (שרה = Sara)
(ת) Tav = T like Tom. (תגידי = Tagidi)
Letters that change at the end of a word (Sofit)
(ך) Khaf sofit = ch like Bach (not kh). (בדרך = Baderech)
(ם) Mem sofit = M like mom. (גשם = Geshem)
(ן) Nun Sofit = N like none. (שמעון = Shimon)
(ף) Fe Sofit = PH like phone, F like Frank. (אלף = Aleph, אף = Af)
(ץ) Tzadi Sofit = TZ (ארץ = Eretz)
Special Exceptions
('ג) Gimel + Geresh = J like Jeans. (ג'מילה = Jamila)
('ז) Zayin + Geresh = Zh like leisure. ()
('צ) Tzadi + Geresh = Ch like Cha Cha. (צ׳ה צ׳ה = Cha Cha)
(יי) Yod Yod = Yi. (אלייך = Elayich)
(לא) Lamed Aleph = Lo. (לא = Lo)