ISO 843:1997

Overview

ISO 843:1997 - Information and documentation - Conversion of Greek characters into Latin characters - defines a standardized system for converting Greek script into Latin script. The standard specifies two distinct conversion types: Type 1 (transliteration) for reversible character-to-character mapping, and Type 2 (transcription) for representing pronunciation. It applies to the full range of Greek writing (monotoniko and polytoniko) across historical periods, and it replaces the earlier ISO/R 843.

Key topics and requirements

• Two conversion methods
  • Transliteration (Type 1): univocal, reversible mapping suitable for automatic reconstitution of original Greek text.
  • Transcription (Type 2): phonetic-oriented mapping where pronunciation is primary; not necessarily reversible.
• Mandatory declaration: an application must explicitly state which conversion type is being used.
• Character repertoires: mappings reference Greek characters from ISO/IEC 10646-1 and a Latin repertoire (from ISO/IEC 10646-1 or ISO/IEC 8859-1); handling for combining marks (e.g., macron) is discussed.
• Conversion tables: the standard includes transliteration and transcription tables for alphabetical characters, conversion rules for non-alphabetical characters (accents, diacritics, punctuation), archaic Greek characters, and Greek numeric symbols.
• Special rules: guidance on digraphs/double vowels (e.g., AU, EU, OU), final sigma handling, capitalization rules when converted results produce double capitals, and transfer/position of accents in certain combinations.
• Reversibility guidance: Annex A is normative (definitions and principles); Annex B gives an example method for reversible transcription (informative); Annexes B and C are informative.

Applications and users

ISO 843 is practical for professionals needing consistent Greek-to-Latin conversion:

• Librarians and cataloguers for bibliographic records, indexing and alphabetic ordering.
• Information and documentation specialists and directory services exchanging bibliographic references.
• Software developers and data architects implementing search, transliteration APIs, or migration tools for multilingual systems.
• Government agencies issuing passports, ID cards, or maintaining registries (Type 2 often used for names).
• Cartographers and sign makers for map citations and road signage where pronunciation matters.
• Publishers and translators preparing scholarly or historical texts that require faithful reversible mappings.

Related standards

• ISO/R 843 (replaced)
• ISO/IEC 10646-1 (character repertoire references)
• ISO/IEC 8859-1 (alternative Latin repertoire reference)

Keywords: ISO 843:1997, transliteration, transcription, Greek-to-Latin conversion, Greek characters, bibliographic conversion, Unicode, character mapping.