title: Python - codec encoding ascii to unicode: error
body: <p>:) I am trying to go about the process of reversing transliteration of an input file(currently in english) back to its original form(in hindi)</p>
  
  <p>A sample or a part of the input file looks like this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>E-k- b-u-d-z*dhi-m-aan- p-ksii#
  
  E-k- ghn-e- j-ngg-l- m-e-ng E-k- b-h-u-t- UUNNc-aa p-e-dr thaa#
  U-s- k-ii p-t-z*t-o-ng s-e- l-d-ii shaakhaay-e-ng m-j-*zb-uut- b-aaj-u-O-ng k-ii t-r-h- pheil-ii h-u-II thiing#
  w-n- h-NNs-o-ng k-aa E-k- jhu-nhz*D- I-s- p-e-dr p-r- n-i-w-aas- k-r-t-aa thaa#
  w-e- s-b- y-h-aaNN s-u-r-ksi-t- the- AUr- b-dre- AAr-aam- s-e- r-h-t-e- the-#
  U-n- m-e-ng s-e- E-k- p-ksii b-h-u-t- b-u-d-z*dhi-m-aan- thaa#
  I-s- b-u-d-z*dhi-m-aan- p-ksii n-e- E-k- d-i-n- p-e-dr k-ii j-dr m-e-ng s-e- E-k- l-t-aa k-o- U-g-t-e- d-e-khaa# 
  I-s- k-e- b-aar-e- m-e-ng U-s-n-e- d-uus-r-e- p-ksi-y-o-ng s-e- b-aat- k-ii#
  "k-z*y-aa t-u-m-z*h-e-ng w-h- l-t-aa d-i-khaaII d-e-t-ii h-ei", U-s- n-e- U-n- s-e- p-uuchaa "t-u-m-z*h-e-ng I-s-e- n-Shz*T- k-r- d-e-n-aa c-aah-i-E-"#
  "I-s-e- k-z*y-o-ng n-Shz*T- k-r- d-e-n-aa c-aah-i-E-?" h-NNs-o-ng n-e- AAshz*c-*ry- s-e- p-uuchaa "y-h- t-o- I-t-n-ii cho-T-ii s-e- h-ei#
  h-m-e-ng y-h- k-z*y-aa h-aan-i- p-h-u-NNc-aa s-k-t-ii h-ei"#
  "m-e-r-e- m-i-tro-ng," b-u-d-z*dhi-m-aan- p-ksii n-e- U-t-z*t-r- d-i-y-aa "w-h- cho-T-ii s-ii l-t-aa j-l-z*d-ii h-ii b-drii h-o- j-aay-e-g-ii#
  y-h- h-m-aar-e- p-e-dr p-r- c-Dh*z k-r- U-s- s-e- l-i-p-T-t-ii j-aay-e-g-ii AUr- phi-r- m-o-T-ii AUr- m-j-*zb-uut- h-o- j-aay-e-g-ii"#
  "t-o- k-z*y-aa h-u-AA"#
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Its equivalent meaning in english is:</p>
  
  <pre><code>A WISE OLD BIRD.
  
  Deep in the forest stood a very tall tree.
  Its leafy branches spread out like long arms.
  This was the home of a flock of wild geese.
  They were safe there.
  One of the geese was a wild old bird.
  One  day this wise old bird noticed  a small creeper growing at the foot of the tree.
  He spoke to the other birds about it.
  "Do you see that creeper ?" he said to them.
  "You must destroy it."
  "Why must we destroy it ?" asked the geese in surprise.
  "It is so small.
  What harm can it do?"
  "My friends," replied the wise old bird, " that little creeper will soon grow.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>My script looks like this: </p>
  
  <pre><code>#!/usr/bin/python
  # -*- coding: UTF-8 -*-
  import sys
  CODEC = 'utf-8'
  input_file=sys.argv[1]
  output_file=sys.argv[2]
  list1=[]
  
  
  
  f=open(input_file,'r')
  f1 = open(output_file,'w')
  
  english_hindi_dict={'A' : u'अ' ,  'AA' : u'आ ' , 'I' : u'इ' , 'II' : u'ई ' , 'U' : u'उ ' ,\
                  'UU' : u'ऊ' , 'r' : u'ऋ' , 'E' : u'ए' , 'ai' : u'ऐ' , 'O' : u'ओ' , 'AU' : u'औ' ,\
                  'k' : u'क' , 'kh' : u'ख' , 'g' : u'ग' , 'gh' : u'घ' , 'c' : u'च' , 'ch' : u'छ',\
                  'j': u'ज' , 'jh' : u'झ' , 'tr' : u'त्र' , 'T' : u'ट'  , 'Th' : u'ठ' , 'D' : u'ड',\
                  'dr' : u'ड' , 'Dh' : u'ढ' , 'Na' : u'ण' , 'th' : u'त' ,  'tha' : u'थ',\
                  'd' : u'द' , 'dh': u'ध' , 'n' : u'न' , 'p' : u'प' , 'ph' : u'फ' ,\
                  'b' : u'ब' , 'bh' : u'भ' , 'm' : u'म' , 'y' : u'य' , 'r' : u'र' , 'l' : u'ल' ,\
                  'w' : u'व' , 'sh' : u'श' , 'sha' : u'ष', 's' : u'स' , 'h' : u'ह' , 'ks' : u'क्ष' ,\
                  'i' : u'ि' , 'ii' : u'ी' , 'u' : u'ु' , 'uu' : u'ू' , 'e' : u'े' ,\
                  'aa' : u'ै' , 'o' : u'ो' , 'AU' : u'ौ' ,'H' : u'्' ,'mn' : u'ं' ,\
                  'NN' : u'ँ' , 'AW' : u'ॅ' , 'rr' : u'ृ' , '4' : u'४' , '6': u'६'  , '8' : u'८',\
                  '2' : u'२' , '5' : u'५' , '3' : u'३' , '7' : u'७' , '9' : u'९' , '1' : u'१'}
  for line in f:
        #line=line.strip() to remove a line from its newline character....  
        #line=line.rstrip('.')   
        line=line.replace('-','')
        line=line.replace('#','|') # i am using the or symbol for poornviram
        #line=line.replace('।','')
        #line = line.lower()
  for word in line:
      for ch in word:
          if (ch in english_hindi_dict) :
              translatedToken = english_hindi_dict[ch]
          else :
                  translatedToken = ch
  
  #{ translatedToken = english_hindi_dict[ch] }
  
  #for ch in line:
      f1.write(translatedToken)
      #print translatedToken
      #line = line.replace( char,english_hindi_dict[char] )   
        #list1.append(line)
  f.close()
  
  f1.write(' '.join(list1))
  
  f1.close()
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>the error that I am getting is:</p>
  
  <pre><code>python transliterate_eh_nw.py Hstory.txt op1.txt
  Traceback (most recent call last):
    File "transliterate_eh_nw.py", line 43, in &lt;module&gt;
      f1.write(translatedToken)
  UnicodeEncodeError: 'ascii' codec can't encode character u'\u092f' in position 0: ordinal not in range(128)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Could you please tell me how do I deal with this error.
  Thank you..:)</p>