Slavic and Eastern European Studies  Tags: russian eastern_europe slavic_studies  

Below are links to the official library transliteration tables for Slavic languages materials used by the UCSB and other UC libraries.

• Belorussian
• Bulgarian
• Church Slavic
• Russian
• Serbian and Macedonian
• Ukrainian

Other languages in cyrillic script or from former Soviet Republics:

• Armenian
• Georgian
• Non-Slavic Languages in Cyrillic Script

Transliteration is the process of writing in a language using a different alphabet.  It differs from translation in that you preserve the pronunciation of the words, rather than expressing the meaning of the words in a different language.

For example, the Russian phrase «Я говорю по-русски» would be translitered "Ia govoriu po-russki" (or in some systems, "Ya govoryu po-russki").  The translation of this phrase would be "I speak Russian".

Transliteration is important when trying to find books written in Russian in western libraries.  It is also handy for communicating in Russian when you do not have the ability to type in Cyrillic.

At the present time, the only way to access books written in Russian or other non-Latin alphabets in the library catalog is in a transliterated (or romanized) form. There are several transliteration schemes available, but all libraries in the United States follow those established by the Library of Congress and the American Library Association.

Follow the links at left to the appropriate language table for your language.

• Slavic Studies Program
• Dept. of German, Slavic, and Semitic Studies