Browse Category

Transliteration

2 posts
An antique radio with Arabic script displayed on the front, surrounded by a warm glow from a vintage lamp and a decorative background featuring Arabic calligraphy. Paper with intricate designs rests on the surface beneath the radio.
Read More

SATTS: The Forgotten U.S. Military System for Transliterating Arabic in the Cold War

When Arabic characters couldn't be displayed, SATTS (Standard Arabic Technical Transliteration System) offered a solution. Reginald Hefner takes a historical look at this pre-digital military system, explaining how it allowed Arabic to be read and written in Latin characters without pronunciation cues, and its role during the Cold War era.