S18: Editorial issues
 
 

1. Choices and constraints - E) Transliteration

 


When writing systems need to be converted to the Roman alphabet for a school atlas, it is the rule to adhere to the conversion system officially adhered to by the UNGEGN - these can be found on the UNGEGN website. Sometimes, however, these systems seem to be too complicated for school children (or geography teachers?) Therefore, even if official conversion systems, where available, are used as a starting point in the name conversion process, the resulting names in the Roman alphabet often will be simplified further for use in (primary) school atlases (not for the general reference atlases).

Nowadays, in the Roman alphabet area, the rule is applied, that for names in languages using the Roman script, the official writing is represented, complete with diacritical marks - with the single exception of Vietnamese, where the diacritics representing tonal accents are omitted.
 
Print this page
 

 

Copyright United Nations Statistics Division and International Cartographic Association, July 2012