Re: [wg-review] Multilingulaism in ICANN

[Vany Martinez <vany@sdnp.org.pa>]

Dear Pilar and all:

At 11:25 a.m. 01/22/01 +0000, Pilar Luque wrote:
>Daer all,
>
>After MR BURTON'S petition, and at Mr STUBBS' insistance on 18/01/01,
>please find enclosed resume of discussion on Multilingualism as
>promised:
>
>1.You cannot ask non-native English speakers for all of the
>following:
>     - be as fast as native English speakers to understand
>       all subtle issues in ICANN process
>     - be as comfortable as as native English speakers in the anglo-saxon
>       way of doing, with all procedures, term of references, etc,
>       all what is inherent to this cluture they do not dominate
>     - be equally skilled on all legal matters of common law
>     - compete with native English speakers companies for new gTLD
>     - pay for ICANN, either directly, or indirectly
>     - and volunteer on their spare time to translate ICANN system
>       and documents into local languages
>There is an abismal difference betwen UNDERSTAND english texts and
>DISCUSS in public in English...
Totally Agree

>2.  ICANN IMPORTANT documents (SPECIALLY THOSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT) need
>to be translated at least into Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish,
>German and French so that representation is fair and participation is
>higher.  It is INCONCEIVABLE that any organization representing or
>claiming to be
>world wide would not have several languages available.  To do otherwise
>is cultural imperialism.

ICANN bylaws, state crearly that the official language of ICANN is English.
Maybe we can ask for amendments and make as UN that has 5 official 
languages, at least.
If any other translation is made under the actual bylaws, wouldn't be 
legally recognized, or even ICANN wouldn't
have any responsability about translations on documents.  Also this goes 
far beyond:  Do you consider that discussions
on public comments should be done only in English.  Should ICANN have 
translators for those who send comments
in their native language?   Under actual bylaws, all discussions has to be 
conducted in English.  Would ICANN be
willing to pay for simultaneus translators at physical meetings?
I remember that, after Cairo meeting I suggested to Ben Edelman remote 
simultaneus translators for real time scribes in physical meetings, through 
MIRC (or any other IRC client/server)...And, the answer in that time was 
that because it would require more expenses and additional equipment that 
they are not willing to pay (more computers and more big screens), it would 
be difficult to implement this new service.

>3. The ccTLD Constituency of the DNSO has already taken steps towards
>Multilingualism by volunteer translators.  It would be a way to start
>which would solve the problem of overburden of translations.  The whole
>of the DNSO should follow such example so that the ICANN Board can be
>influenced towards such a move.
It is for me a pleasure to annouce that since past year, NCDNH Constituency 
have took also measures
in this issue.  Actually we have translations on Spanish and German 
perfomed by volutneers.   Soon we
will have Russian and French.  Also I have received a possible volunteering 
in Greek.
It would be nice that we can between ccTLD and NCDNHC constituency to 
exchange ideas of our activites translations.

>4.  The U.N. Nations approach towards Multilingualism should be one of
>the basic aims of the ICANN process.
Agree.


>5.  English-mother tongue speakers should make the effort when
>expressing themselves in meeetings or dicussions lists to use plain
>English.
I don't think this is the problem.   I just would ask people speak slower.


>6.  A research into software transaltions products for discusiion list
>should be done.
As far as we have a glossary for  our own terms.   Because a software
translation software will translate  Registrar =  Secretaría (the Registrar 
in the universities)
and such translation for us is no correct, for example.

>7.  An effort should be made to train ICANN participants into a better
>knowledge of the basic ICANN technical jargon.
A Glossary and equivalence chart will be enough, and translated in 
different languages.

>8. Multilingualism should be a point to be considered in the new Names
>Council Budget and Names Council Business Plan.
Totally agree


>THEREFORE IT SHOULD BE DECIDED:
>
>1. BUSINESS PLAN FOR SLOWLY INTRODUCING MULTILINGUALISM IN THE WHOLE OF
>THE ICANN PROCESS
>2. STUDY OF THE BUDGET REQUIRED
>3. WHICH LANGUAGES SHOULD BE INTRODUCED

Totally agree

Best Regards
Vany

Nilda Vany Martinez Grajales
IT Specialist
Sustainable Development Networking Programme/Panama
a member of the Non-Commercial Domain Name Holders Constituency of the 
ICANN's DNSO
e-mail:  vany@sdnp.org.pa
Tel: (507) 230-4011 ext 213
Fax:  (507)  230-3455

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