RE: Transliteration (was: "Ladino Database")

[Judy Fertig <fertig...>]

Dear Reyzl:
Thanks for the confidence. Here's some information (via a Judaica
cataloguer) that may be helpful on Hebrew transliteration, at least as far
as easily accessible information:

1) Encyclopedia Judaica has a section on Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic (and other
languages) "Transliteration Rules" in Vol. 1, pp. 90-92. Now, this Hebrew
transliteration scheme would be different than the LOC, but it can be used
consistently, and is widely available through this work. Basically, with
one page you can "get going" on transliterating sound recording titles or
whatever your project requires.

2) There is a relatively new (1992) Hebrew-English dictionary which
includes not only translations of Hebrew words, but their transliterations. 

Webster's New World Hebrew dictionary / Hayim Baltsan

I haven't looked to see what system is being followed here exactly, but
it's another easy-access way of getting transliteration of Hebrew words
from a source that is at least consistent and authoritative (at least in
the sense of being published). If you're working on a major project over a
period of time, you may wish to purchase this work if you are using its
transliteration system.
 
Not so easily accessible:
3) Many academic libraries that catalog Hebrew works do so through RLIN,
which uses the Library of Congress rules and standards for
transliterations. A manual is available in those libraries that catalog
Hebrew. This manual is probably kept in a technical services department,
but a Hebrew cataloguer may be able to help you out with specific
questions. It is (probably) unlikely you'd be able to borrow the manual,
but you may be able to receive some help with tricky problems.

Hope this helps.
Judy.

At 08:57 AM 11/23/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Sorry, I am not an expert in that.   Any Judaica librarian can tell you
that.   Judy would certainly know.
>
>Reyzl
>
>
>----------
>From:  Joel Bresler[SMTP:jbresler (at) ultra(dot)net]
>Sent:  Sunday, November 22, 1998 10:20 PM
>To:  jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org; World music from a Jewish slant.
>Cc:  reyzl (at) flash(dot)net
>Subject:  Transliteration (was: "Ladino Database")
>
>Bob,
>
>I believe there is a standard work laying out transliterations for the
>names of the prayers in the Hebrew service, by a fellow named Davidson.
>Sorry to be hazy about the details. Can Judy Fertig or other authority
>weigh in on this reference? I can't seem to find it on my computer, which
>means it probably came to me in FAX form.
>
>Past that, I don't know if there are any "official" guidelines. 
>
>Best, joel
>
>the Hebrew liturgy At 01:53 PM 11/22/98 -0500, robert wiener wrote:
>>Reyzl,
>>
>>Thanks for your advice on transliteration.  It is very helpful.  A
>>discography of recordings in a foreign language seems so daunting that it
>>would be a real shame to go to all the effort only to discover that all the
>>spelling needs to be edited.
>>
>>I wonder if a transliteration standard (similar to the Yivo standard for
>>Yiddish) exists for Hebrew.  I believe that I've heard that the Library of
>>Congress has one.  Perhaps there are Hebrew transliteration guidelines in
>>the Encyclopedia Judaica.  Is one more generally accepted, for example, by
>>libraries?   Is there a printed discography (or bibliography) guide for
>>Hebrew.
>>
>>(I'll phone YIVO to find out about their system for Yiddish.  Do they have a
>>web site?)
>>
>>Bob
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky <reyzl (at) flash(dot)net>
>>To: World music from a Jewish slant. <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>>Date: Wednesday, November 18, 1998 3:03 PM
>>Subject: RE: Ladino Database
>>
>>
>>Critically important for anyone creating a database that contains Yiddish
>>material -  learn the YIVO transliteration system or you will have a whole
>>mess.   You will also not realize that what you have at home may already
>>easily exist on some online data base, only because you didn't know how to
>>write the word correctly.   You saw here earlier this year someone who was
>>looking for a common Yiddish song, but because she didn't transliterate or
>>transcribe it correctly she couldn't find it in any common Yiddish song book
>>or even on web sites that follow the official transliteration rules, e.g.,
>>Bob Freedmans.   When I pointed the problem out to her succinctly and
>>directly and transcribed it correctly for her, some one who doesn't know me
>>from Adam said that I was a nasty person.   It may be silly to stress this
>>technical issue on this list, but I hope that you are wiser person.
>>
>>Write to YIVO and ask for a copy of the Transliteration rules to be sent to
>>you.  I wish the rules were somewhere on the web, but they aren't on yet as
>>far as I know.   Furthermore, know that people from Spanish or French
>>speaking countries, will transliterate Yiddish differently than English
>>speakers, but the YIVO system is built on an international linguistic system
>>with direct correspondence to Yiddish spelling so that those rules should
>>apply to all Yiddish words written in the Roman alphabet, no matter the
>>dialect of the speaker.
>>
>>
>>Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky
>>
>>
>>----------
>>From:  robert wiener[SMTP:wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com]
>>Sent:  Wednesday, November 18, 1998 10:36 AM
>>To:  World music from a Jewish slant.
>>Cc:  jbresler (at) ultra(dot)net
>>Subject:  Ladino Database
>>
>>Joel:
>>
>>             Wow!  It seems like quite a project.  I have an old 4x6 card
>>catalogue that I stopped once I anticipated that computers could create a
>>database more efficiently.  (Would that be 15 years ago?)  Unfortunately,
>>I've never taken that step and now 1/2 of my LPs and all of my cassettes and
>>CDs are uncatalogued.  So I'd appreciate advice from any list members.
>>
>>             Can you (and others) share with us your experience and
>>recommendations for such a venture?  What software to use, how to set it up
>>(e.g., what information/fields to include), transliteration
>>consistency...?  For those of you who have created databases for Yiddish or
>>Hebrew, did you do it in both that language and English?
>>I've heard of programs that read CD information on
>>the CD-rom.  Do you know of them?  I've also heard of some databases of
>>recordings that you can use as a source so that you don't have to do all the
>>entries yourself -- it seems that you electronically check off the albums
>>you own.  Has anyone used them?  Would a scanner help in downloading the
>>information?  What sort of hardware do you need (for example, for a
>>collection of about 4,000 LPs, 2,000 CDs, and 1,000 cassettes?  What do you
>>wish that you had known before you began the project (in addition to how
>>much time it would take)?  Are there any resources for funding such a
>>venture?
>>
>>             Thanks,
>>             Bob
>>
>>
>
>
>Joel Bresler
>250 E. Emerson Rd.
>Lexington, MA 02420 USA
>
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