BS ISO 3984-2004 PDF

Full title and description

STB BS ISO 3984-2004 — Information and documentation — International standard for romanization or transliteration schemes for specific scripts (designation indicates adoption as a national standard based on BS ISO 3984 published 2004). This document provides rules and tables for converting characters of specified scripts into Latin (Roman) characters to support bibliographic, archival and information-management interchange.

Abstract

This standard is the adopted national version of BS ISO 3984:2004. It specifies a romanization/transliteration system intended for consistent, reversible representation of characters from a particular source script in Latin characters. The standard includes principles, transliteration tables, diacritic usage, and rules for handling special characters, punctuation and letter casing to ensure interoperability in catalogs, bibliographies and databases.

General information

• Status: Published / National adoption of BS ISO 3984:2004
• Publication date: 2004 (adopted as national standard in same period; national publication date may vary)
• Publisher: National standards body (STB) adopting the British Standard ISO publication; original source: ISO/BSI
• ICS / categories: 01.140.30 (Information and documentation), 35.240 (Librarianship, documentation)
• Edition / version: 2004 edition (adoption of BS ISO 3984:2004)
• Number of pages: Typically 10–40 pages depending on national publication format (original ISO/BS version is concise; national publication may include foreword and national foreword)

Scope

The standard establishes transliteration (romanization) rules for converting characters from a specified non-Latin script to Latin characters for use in information processing, bibliographic records, cataloguing and interchange between systems. It defines mapping tables, diacritic practices, capitalization rules and handling of punctuation and special letters to ensure consistent and reversible transliteration suitable for library and archival use.

Key topics and requirements

• Defined transliteration tables mapping source-script characters to Latin equivalents.
• Rules for use of diacritics and multi-character sequences to preserve phonetic and orthographic distinctions.
• Guidance on capitalization and word-initial letter handling.
• Procedures for representing punctuation, numerals and special signs.
• Requirements for reversibility and unambiguous mapping where feasible.
• Notes on applicability to cataloguing, bibliographic records and information exchange.

Typical use and users

Used by librarians, archivists, metadata specialists, cataloguers, publishers and IT professionals working on bibliographic databases, library catalogs, authority files and multilingual information systems. Useful in national libraries, university libraries, archives, bibliographic service providers and organizations requiring standardized romanization for data exchange and retrieval.

Related standards

Related documents include other ISO transliteration/romanization standards for specific scripts (ISO standards addressing romanization for Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, etc.), national transliteration standards, cataloguing rules (e.g., AACR2, RDA) and ISO/IEC character-encoding standards. The original BS adoption references BS ISO 3984:2004 and may be used alongside other ISO 9xx series standards for script transliteration.

Keywords

romanization, transliteration, romanisation, transliteration tables, information and documentation, cataloguing, bibliographic data, metadata, diacritics, reversible mapping, national standard, BS ISO 3984

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: It is the national adoption (STB) of BS ISO 3984:2004, a standard specifying rules and tables for transliterating a particular non-Latin script into Latin (Roman) characters for information and documentation purposes.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers transliteration tables, rules for diacritics and multi-character sequences, capitalization conventions, and handling of punctuation and special characters to support consistent, reversible romanization for bibliographic and data-exchange use.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Librarians, cataloguers, archivists, metadata specialists, publishers and IT professionals who need standardized romanization for catalogues, authority files, bibliographies and multilingual databases.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The document reflects the 2004 edition. Whether it has been superseded or amended depends on subsequent national or international publications; users should check with the national standards body for current status and any later revisions or replacements.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is part of the family of ISO standards and related national adoptions that define transliteration/romanization schemes for various scripts. It complements other ISO and national standards used for cataloguing and information exchange.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Romanization, transliteration, transliteration tables, diacritics, bibliographic data, cataloguing, metadata, reversible mapping.