hi
We might end-up having to keep int_name for the internationally used
name, even if it is a somewhat fuzzy definition - and then add a
name:romanized or romanized_name tag for the romanized transliteration
of the local name.
I can't understand Arabian. I'm no expert. Is there a way to do the
transliteration automatically in a consistent way?
Acconding to wikipedia there exist multiple ways to do so:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_transliteration
I'm also not able to read Arabic, but I'm able to read some Asian
writing systems.
Lets take "Bangkok" for example.
The City is called:
????????????? (/Krung Thep Mahanakhon)/
Most of the people there call it "Krung Thep"
There is also a long (offical) name:
"????????????? ??????????????? ???????????????????
???????????????????????? ?????????????? ??????????????? ?????????
???????????? ??????????????????"
Lets cross the border to Laos
In Laos Bangkok is also called "Krung Thep". If people don't speak
English, they don't know the name "Bangkok".
Laos has it's own writing system an the Lao transliteration of Bangkok
is "??????".
Next country Cambodia - Khmer writing system:
???????? = krung thep
????? = bangkok
Sound file:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Th-Krung_Thep.ogg
-------
3 countries 3 writing systems. I don't see an international name.
Maybe the name as written at the airport could be the int_name.
name:?????????????
name_offical:????????????? ??????????????? ???????????????????
???????????????????????? ?????????????? ??????????????? ?????????
???????????? ??????????????????
name_en:Bangkok
name@lo:??????
name_lo:don't know (There is no "R" in Lao)
name@km:????????
name_km:?????
name@de:Krung Theep
name@en:Krung Thep
name_int:Bangkok
name@ipa: kru-? t^(h)ê?p máha(? nák^(h)???n
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_Thai_and_Lao>
---
name:"????????????? (Bangkok)"
is definitly wrong. If I want to render a bilingual map it is not
possible - except I make an English/Thai map. It is not possible to
render a Thai/Lao map or a Thai/Chinese map.
---
There isn't an offical transliteration system for every writing system.
Laos and Cambodia have been French colonies. In Cambodia they have an
official translitaration system based on english pronunciation.
For me as a German speaking person the English based transliteration is
nearly useless.
In Laos they use more often the French sounds of Latin letters - but
there is no official transliteration system.
In Cambodia I have never seen a map using Khmer letters, but it is easy
to buy a Cambodian map with English letters. The local people have no
maps if they are not able to read English. The Khmer alphabet has 70
letters. Transliteration is not possible without losses.
Mapnik is still not able to render Khmer fonts without mistakes.
Bernhard
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