Introduction – Transliteration 101
If you are in a Biblical Studies program (or any program that uses an ancient language), you may invariably be forced to transliterate Greek or Hebrew words (or Coptic, Syriac, etc. for that matter).
This may be due to choice (you don’t want to mess with the Greek or Hebrew fonts or you want to make your writing more accessible) or you are simply copying down a reference that uses transliterations. Whatever the case, it can sometimes be a pain getting down the correct accents and markers.
Keyboard Extension to the rescue
One of the easiest ways to type accents and markers is to simply extend your keyboard. By doing so, you can use an existing font within your Word processor, which contains all of the appropriate markers to write transliterated words.
For Mac Users it is a matter of heading over to your Systems Preferences, International, Input Menu, and selecting the U.S. Extended Keyboard from the long list. After that, all you need is a keyboard map to tell you which keys to press to make the appropriate mark.
Detailed Instructions
A thorough explanation can be found here along with a keyboard layout and instructions for inserting those special markers:
For Mac: Extended Keyboard Accent Codes for the Macintosh
For PC: Typing Accents and Special Characters
Conclusion
Essentially, the functionality for transliterating words already exists within your typical word processor. Extending the keyboard unlocks this functionality and puts those special accents right at your fingertips (assuming you type in the right code, that is! :))
I would love to hear what other researchers are doing to transliterate words in their work.
Happy researching!
