CGSS practice question 25 of 25

Transliteration is defined as the:

Full set: 101 questions
Answer options
A: ways in which an individual's name is given to, or used by, the individual.
B: process of taking a non-Latin writing system and converting it into Latin script.
C: process of matching an internal record against a sanctioned list record.
D: conversion of text from one script into another. Correct answer
Correct Answer:
D. conversion of text from one script into another.
Explanation

Transliteration is the systematic process of converting text from one writing system (script) into another. It involves mapping the characters of a source script to functionally equivalent characters in a target script based on spelling. In the context of sanctions compliance, this is essential for screening names that originate in non-Latin alphabets (e.g., Arabic, Cyrillic, Mandarin) against sanctions lists, which are often in Latin script. This process helps account for variations in spelling that arise when a single name is converted into another script using different standards, thereby improving the accuracy of the screening process.

Why Incorrect

A. This describes naming conventions or aliases, which are different ways a name is used, not how it is written in different scripts.
B. This defines Romanization, which is a specific type of transliteration (to Latin script), but not the complete, general definition.
C. This describes the overall process of sanctions list screening, not the specific linguistic technique of transliteration used within it.

References

1. ACAMS Certified Global Sanctions Specialist (CGSS) Study Guide, 6th Edition. Chapter 3, "Screening for Sanctions, PEPs, and Adverse Media," Section: "Data and Matching Challenges," pp. 3-24 - 3-25. The guide defines transliteration as "the conversion of text from one script to another" and distinguishes it from translation and transcription.

2. Knight, K., & Graehl, J. (1998). Machine Transliteration. Computational Linguistics, 24(4), 599–612. Section 1, "Introduction," defines transliteration as the process of converting a word from one alphabetic script to another, focusing on the phonetic and orthographic mapping between writing systems. (Available via MIT Press and ACM Digital Library).

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