That practice is called *[transcription][2]*: > 1.2 A form in which a speech sound or a foreign character is represented: ***Transliteration*** is not necessarily a phonetic operation: > *[Transliterate][1]*: > > Write or print (a letter or word) using the closest corresponding > letters of a different alphabet or language: Because Arabic has a dissimilar alphabet system, جهاد ǧihād [dʒiˈhæːd] comes across as a phonetic transliteration, which is technically *transcription*. [1]: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/transliterate?q=transliteration#transliterate__23 [2]: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/transcription