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

Use "Asura" instead of "Assura".

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"

Avoid using "i" as the first letter of a name

The lower case "i" at the beginning of a word, when becoming a capital is difficult to distinguish from an "L".

Use "Ei Hatal" instead of "iy hatal", which reads like "LY HaTal"

Exception: Easily recognized words that start with "i" ("Ima", "Isha", "Israel", "Itach") and don't start with two vowels

From Hebrew to English

א Aleph Silent (or a glottal stop)

ב Bet "B" as in boy

ב Vet "V" as in vine

ג Gimel "G" as in girl

ד Dalet "D" as in dog

ה He "H" as in hay

ו Vav "V" as in vine (sometimes "O" or "U")

ז Zayin "Z" as in zebra

ח Het Guttural "Kh" (like Bach)

ט Tet "T" as in tall

י Yod "Y" as in yes

כ Kaf / Khaf "K" as in kite / "Kh" as in Bach

ל Lamed "L" as in look

מ Mem "M" as in mom

נ Nun "N" as in now

ס Samekh "S" as in sun

ע Ayin Silent (traditionally a deep guttural)

פ Pe "P" as in park

פ Fe "F" as in fly

צ Tzadi "Tz" as in cats

ק Kuf "K" as in kite

ר Resh "R" (similar to a French or rolled R)

ש Shin "Sh" as in shoe

ש Sin "S" as in sun

ת Tav "T" as in tall

Letters that change at the end of a word (Sofit)

Khaf Sofit: ך

Mem Sofit: ם

Nun Sofit: ן

Fe Sofit: ף

Tzadi Sofit: ץ