Orthographic transcription

Orthographic transcription is a transcription method that employs the standard spelling system of each target language. Orthographic transcription is a transcription method that employs the standard spelling system of each target language. Examples of orthographic transcription are 'Pushkin' and 'Pouchkine', respectively the English and French orthographic transcriptions of the surname 'Пу́шкин' in the name Алекса́ндр Пу́шкин (Alexander Pushkin). Thus, each target language (English and French) transcribes the surname according to its own orthography. Contrast with phonetic transcription, phonemic orthography, transliteration, and translation. Transcription as a mapping from sound to script must be distinguished from transliteration, which creates a mapping from one script to another that is designed to match the original script as directly as possible. Standard transcription schemes for linguistic purposes include the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and its ASCII equivalent, SAMPA. See also phonetic transcription. Transcription is often confused with transliteration, perhaps due to a common journalistic practice of mixing elements of both in rendering foreign names. The resulting practical transcription is a hybrid that is called both 'transcription' and 'transliteration' by the general public.