They serve to indicate how a word is pronounced or spelled, and are thus useful in the translation of such features of the text as proper names.

音韵特性的作用是表示词语的发声或拼法，因此有助于翻译专有名词。

youdao

youdao

youdao

He did not care how his name was spelled: with or without a "u."

VOA: special.2010.01.10

It can be spelled y-o-g-u-r-t or y-o-g-h-u-r-t.

VOA: special.2009.01.19

As long ago as 1804, the individual's obligations to his or her family were spelled out in the Napoleonic Code.

ECONOMIST: France's government says it wants to bolster the family

Some of these ideas had merits, but none has been spelled out or followed through, and none has yet made a mark on the electorate.

ECONOMIST: Man overboard

At the center of the antispam effort is a small Redwood City, Calif. not-for-profit organization called Mail Abuse Prevention System or MAPS (spam spelled backwards).

FORBES: Spam Warfare