Transliterate

1.10.2 · active · verified Tue Apr 14

Transliterate is a bi-directional transliterator for Python (version 1.10.2) that converts Unicode strings according to rules defined in various language packs. It supports languages such as Armenian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Greek, Macedonian, Mongolian, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian. The library also includes utility functions like a lorem ipsum generator, basic language detection, and a slugify function. While the last significant release was in 2018, the library remains active and functional, providing a stable solution for transliteration needs.

Warnings

gotcha The bundled 'lorem ipsum generator' has compatibility issues with Python 3, so `transliterate` uses a simplified fallback generator in Python 3 environments.
Fix: Be aware that lorem ipsum generation might behave differently on Python 3 compared to Python 2, with potentially reduced features from the original `lorem-ipsum-generator`.
gotcha The library's language detection is described as 'very basic' and relies solely on character sets. It may not be robust for complex scenarios or subtle language distinctions.
Fix: For critical applications requiring accurate language detection, consider using dedicated, more sophisticated NLP libraries for language identification.
gotcha When performing reversed transliterations (e.g., from Cyrillic to Latin), omitting the `language_code` parameter is possible, but explicitly providing it will result in faster execution.
Fix: Always specify `language_code` for reversed transliterations if performance is a concern: `translit(value, language_code='xx', reversed=True)`.
gotcha When defining and registering custom language packs, `autodiscover()` must be called before custom packs are registered if you intend to use the library's bundled language packs alongside your own. Additionally, language packs registered with `force=True` cannot be replaced or unregistered later.
Fix: Call `autodiscover()` early in your application lifecycle if you rely on bundled language packs. Carefully manage custom language pack registration, especially with the `force` argument.

Install

pip install transliterate Install latest stable version from PyPI

Imports

translit
```
from transliterate import translit
```

get_available_language_codes

from transliterate import get_available_language_codes

autodiscover
```
from transliterate import autodiscover
```
Required before registering custom language packs if bundled packs are also to be used.

transliterate_function

from transliterate.decorators import transliterate_function

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates basic bi-directional transliteration between English (Latin script) and Russian (Cyrillic script), and how to list all available language packs.

from transliterate import translit, get_available_language_codes

text = "Hello, world! Привет, мир!"

# Transliterate to Russian
ru_text = translit(text, 'ru')
print(f"English to Russian: {ru_text}")

# Transliterate from Russian back to Latin (reversed)
latin_text = translit(ru_text, 'ru', reversed=True)
print(f"Russian to Latin (reversed): {latin_text}")

# Get available language codes
available_languages = get_available_language_codes()
print(f"Available languages: {available_languages}")

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