[governance] Inputs for synthesis paper

[Hanane Boujemi]

Hello,

I find it a good idea to engage local capacities to promote this concept, 
emphasizing a multilingual Internet as a natural right will speed up its 
reinforcement.

The management of online content in other languages should definitely be the 
responsibility of the people who can eventually understand the language!

The UNESCO initiative is a long term project  ( like all UN projects) that 
will 'hopefully' bring tangible results, but at least there is a will and a 
clear understanding of the necessity to provide an Internet with various 
languages , an Internet for 'ALL'.

As for considering this right as a BIG ask, I am sure that the same 
controversy was created when the right of indigenous people had to be 
approved :) and other rights…

Hanane

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "McTim" <dogwallah at gmail.com>
To: <governance at lists.cpsr.org>; "Hanane Boujemi" <hananeb at diplomacy.edu>
Cc: "Parminder" <parminder at itforchange.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 6:44 AM
Subject: Re: [governance] Inputs for synthesis paper


> Hello,
>
> On Wed, Sep 3, 2008 at 10:45 PM, Hanane Boujemi <hananeb at diplomacy.edu> 
> wrote:
>>
>> Parminder and all,
>>
>> Indeed, my suggestion of the right of a multilingual Internet is purely
>> reflecting the concern of a minority of Internet users who are not able 
>> to
>> benefit fully of  what Internet can offer.
>
> minority or majority?

>
> The reason lies behind the fact
>> that there is a clear lack of reliable online content in languages like
>> Arabic. The UNESCO is working on many projects to promote this concept 
>> and
>> other organizations who are obviously concerned.
>
> perhaps UNESCO is "working" on it, could you point me to tangible results?
>
> The results I see from here are done largely by corporations,
> including M$ applications and OS and online content translators:
> (http://www.google.com/transconsole/giyl/check/status)
> http://www.google.com/translate_t#
> http://babelfish.yahoo.com/
> etc., with some notable achievements done by CS/academia
> (http://translate.org.za/), and ICANNs work on IDNs.
>
>>
>> The reason why I think a multilingual Internet might be included as right
>> (if we all agree)
>
> which we seemingly don't, which was Milton's point.
>
> is to engage as many parties or stakeholders in  making
>> this concept a reality.
>
> That's all well and good, a laudable goal.  However, if asking for it
> a "right" turns off CS ppl like me, Milton and JH, imagine what it
> would look like to gov't types?
>
>
>>
>> As a native Arabic speaker using Internet for at least 12 hours a day, I
>> mostly rely on English online content for the simple reason that content 
>> in
>> Arabic is scarce (at least for the subjects I am interested in).
>
> I submit that it's up to Arabic speakers to engage in projects to
> change this, or rely on the corporates to do it, for example, your
> sentence above translated (free) by
> http://www.systran.co.uk/arabic-english-translation/free-arabic-translation.htm
> reads:
>
> كالمتحدث أهليّ طبيعيّ عربيّة يستعمل إنترنت ل على الأقلّ 12 [هوور ا دي], 
> أنا
> في الأغلب اعتمدت على محتوى [إنغليش] متوفّر على شبكة الإنترنات للسبب
> بسيطة أنّ محتوى [إينربيك] نادر (على الأقلّ لالموضوع أنا راغبة داخل).
>
> Now, this may be an awful translation, but at least it is something.
>
>>
>> This right falls as well under two major themes of IGF: diversity and
>> access.  I think it's feasible to include a multilingual Internet as an
>> inherent right.
>>
>
> I think it's an "ability" that uses users should have, but trying to
> enshrine it in a "right" is a very big ask.  As mentioned upthread,
> "who is going to pay for this"?
>
> -- 
> Cheers,
>
> McTim
> mctim.blogspot.com
> 


____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, send any message to:
     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org

For all list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance