When searching our holdings for titles in original script (Arabic, Cyrillic, Armenian or Georgian letters), you have to use the transliteration common in the German library system.
Here you can find information about the rules of the different alphabets. (Most of the linked documents are in German.)
Arabic
- Notes on transliteration [PDF]
- Arabic transliteration rules [EROMM]
- DIN Standard 31635 for the transcription of Arabic [Wikipedia]
- The classic DMG transliteration rules of the Arabic script from 1935 [book on MENAdoc]
Persian
- Persian transliteration rules (EROMM)
- Marburg guide to the transcription of New Persian [PDF]
- Iranian languages in Cyrillic script [PDF]
Turkic Languages
- Transcription for Turcica (Turkish languages in Cyrillic script) [PDF]
- In the case of the Azerbaijani Latin alphabet, please transliterate the letter “ə” with “ä”.
- Ottoman titles are reproduced in modern Turkish spelling (see Özege: Eski harflerle basılmış Türkçe eserler kataloğu, 1971-82).
- For Ottoman manuscripts, a transcription based on the İslam Ansiklopedisi is recommended.
- Kyrgyz in Arabic script: standardisation by EMKONS project (Miami University, Ohio, USA), in cooperation with National Academy of Sciences in Bishkek. Table on the project’s website
Armenian
Caucasian Languages
Standard Moroccan Tamazight
- For transliteration of the Standard Moroccan Berber, we recommend the ALA-LC Romanization rules [PDF]