Introduction to Transliteration

Transliteration is the process of converting text from one writing system into another. It differs from translation in that it involves changing the script, rather than converting the meaning. This technique is crucial for making content accessible across different language audiences and preserving the phonetic structure of the original text.

Transliteration APIs and Examples

Several APIs are available to perform transliteration. Below are some useful APIs along with code snippets to help you get started:

Google Transliterate API

fetch('https://www.googleapis.com/transliterate/v1/transliterate', {
  method: 'POST',
  body: JSON.stringify({
    q: ['こんにちは', 'さようなら'],
    langpair: ['ja-Hira|ja-Latn']
  })
})
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => console.log(data))

IBM Watson Language Translator API

const LanguageTranslatorV3 = require('ibm-watson/language-translator/v3');
const { IamAuthenticator } = require('ibm-watson/auth');

const languageTranslator = new LanguageTranslatorV3({
  version: '2018-05-01',
  authenticator: new IamAuthenticator({
    apikey: '{apikey}',
  }),
  serviceUrl: '{url}',
});

const translateParams = {
  text: 'hello',
  modelId: 'en-ja',
};

languageTranslator.translate(translateParams)
  .then(translationResult => {
    console.log(JSON.stringify(translationResult, null, 2));
  })
  .catch(err => {
    console.log('error:', err);
  });

Microsoft Translator Text API

const axios = require('axios');

const options = {
  method: 'POST',
  url: 'https://api.cognitive.microsofttranslator.com/transliterate',
  headers: {
    'Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key': '{subscription-key}',
    'Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Region': 'your-region',
    'Content-type': 'application/json'
  },
  params: {
    'api-version': '3.0'
  },
  data: [{
    'text': 'こんにちは',
    'language': 'ja',
    'fromScript': 'jpan',
    'toScript': 'latn'
  }]
};

axios(options)
  .then(response => {
    console.log(response.data);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error(error);
  });

Creating an App with Transliteration APIs

Let’s create a simple web application that uses the Google Transliterate API to convert Japanese text to Latin script:

  
  


  
Japanese to Latin Transliteration
  

  Transliterate
  
Output: 

  

By using the Google Transliterate API, we can convert Japanese Hiragana text to its Latin equivalent, making it easier to read for non-Japanese speakers.

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