[wg-review] ICANN and multilingualism

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

Dear Pilar:

On Wed, 24 Jan 2001, you wrote:

> I would like to see the ICANN Board and the Names Council
> composed by an equal number of non-English mother tongue speakers than
> no-English mother tongue speakers.
Only 4 fo 19 members of the Names Council are English mother tongue speakers
Only 8 of 19 members of ICANN Board are English mother tongue speakers

The problem is not if there are majority of people in the ICANN Board or Names
Council with English as their mother tongue, or not.   In fact, the statistic
say the contrary.

I think the problem is the multilingualism itself:  if the people doesn't
understand English, then the people are more reluctant to participate.

In a past e-mail I said that ICANN official language is in English.  I didn't
realized that bylaws changed and in the last amendment there is something that
says:

"Section 3. NOTICE AND COMMENT PROVISIONS
(snip)
(d) As appropriate, the Corporation will facilitate the translation of final
published documents into various appropriate languages."

So if now a bylaw like this is in the ICANN Bylaws.  Then now we have to find
the mechanism of how to do this in the right way.

Then, I have a proposal:
1.  Ask to ICANN what are they doing actually to accomplish what is commanded
in the bylaws.  
2.  Based on the answer of ICANN, try to find together the best way to
implement translations of documents, simultaneous translations of "Real Times
minutes made by scribes" , simultaneous translations of the meetings (this was
made already in Santiago de Chile and Yokohama meetings)
3. Oficialize translations of documents of the consituencies and bodies of
every Supporting Organizations (not only DNSO needs things translated).

Cheers
Vany

-- 
Nilda Vany Martinez Grajales
IT Specialist
Sustainable Development Networking Programme/Panama
Tel: (507) 230-4011 ext 213
Fax: (507) 230-3455
e-mail: vany@sdnp.org.pa
http://www.sdnp.org.pa
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