diff --git a/scripts/convert.py b/scripts/convert.py
index 3f60754fc..fef9a9bae 100644
--- a/scripts/convert.py
+++ b/scripts/convert.py
@@ -636,6 +636,9 @@ def get_mapping_data_for_edition(
     with open(mappingfile, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
         try:
             data = yaml.safe_load(f)
+            # Handle empty/null YAML files and validate it's a dict
+            if not isinstance(data, dict):
+                data = {}
         except yaml.YAMLError as e:
             logging.info(f"Error loading yaml file: {mappingfile}. Error = {e}")
             data = {}
@@ -737,6 +740,9 @@ def get_language_data(
     with open(language_file, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
         try:
             data = yaml.safe_load(f)
+            # Handle empty/null YAML files and validate it's a dict
+            if not isinstance(data, dict):
+                data = {}
         except yaml.YAMLError as e:
             logging.error(f"Error loading yaml file: {language_file}. Error = {e}")
             data = {}