Re: Marked up and edited acronym proposal

[Andrzej Zydron <azydron@xml-intl.com>]

Hi Gershon,

No problemo! I look forward to your update.

Best Regards,

AZ

Gershon L Joseph wrote:
> Hi Andrzej,
>
> Thanks for the fixed word.
>
> I will expand the sections. The information is there, I just need to develop it. I'd like you to review it though before I send it to the SC for review. Are you OK with this?
>  
> Gershon L Joseph
> Director of Technology and Single Sourcing
> Tech-Tav Documentation Ltd. 
> Secretary, OASIS DITA Technical Committee
> Secretary, OASIS DITA Translation Subcommittee
> Member, OASIS DocBook Technical Committee
>  
> +972-8-974-1569 (direct)
> +972-57-314-1170 (mobile)
> http://www.tech-tav.com
>
> ----- Original Message ----
>   
>> From: Andrzej Zydron <azydron@xml-intl.com>
>> To: Gershon L Joseph <gershon@tech-tav.com>
>> Cc: JoAnn Hackos <joann.hackos@comtech-serv.com>; DITA Translation SC <dita-translation@lists.oasis-open.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 11:59:00 PM
>> Subject: Re: Marked up and edited acronym proposal
>>
>> Hi Gershon,
>>
>> Apologies, but I have been traveling over the weekend. I have
>> corrected
>>
>>     
>  
>   
>> the Polish as requested. Unfortunately, the expansion of the sections 
>> will take a bit longer, as I need to think them through thoroughly.
>>
>> Best Regards,
>>
>> AZ
>>
>> Gershon L Joseph wrote:
>>     
>>> Hi Andrzej,
>>>
>>> I have cleaned up the markup (and moved the Doctype to point to
>>>       
>> the
>>
>>     
>  OASIS spec). I also did technical and general editing.
>   
>>> As agreed in the SC meeting this past Tuesday, I also changed
>>>       
>> the
>>
>>     
>  name of the 'abbreviate-form' attribute to 'abbreviated-form' (added
>   
>> the
>>
>>     
>  'd').
>   
>>> Here is the marked up proposal. I noticed that the example
>>>       
>> using
>>
>>     
>  OASIS used the wrong expanded form. The last 'S' stands for Standards,
>   
>> not
>>
>>     
>  Systems. Andrzej, please could you fix the Polish expanded word in
>   
>> the
>>
>>     
>  XML, since I can't do that ;-)
>   
>>> Please could you fix the error ASAP and send the proposal back to me.
>>>
>>> While we probably could submit the proposal as-is after your fix,
>>>       
>> I
>>
>>     
>  think we need to expand the following sections:
>   
>>> Rendition (I want to clarify the tasks processors are expected to
>>>       
>> do
>>
>>     
>  in this section, since most of that information is currently
>   
>> scattered
>>
>>     
>  over the proposal)
>   
>>> Technical Requirements (I refer to the above info, but
>>>       
>> should
>>
>>     
>  probably specify the exact changes herein)
>   
>>> New or Changed Specification Language (I told them to read the
>>>       
>> rest
>>
>>     
>  of the proposal, but would like to expand this out...)
>   
>>> I will try to get to these 3 sections on Sunday so we can at
>>>       
>> least
>>
>>     
>  get this proposal to the DITA TC at the next meeting, for discussion
>   
>> the
>>
>>     
>  following week.
>   
>>> Thanks,
>>> Gershon
>>>  
>>> Gershon L Joseph
>>> Director of Technology and Single Sourcing
>>> Tech-Tav Documentation Ltd. 
>>> Secretary, OASIS DITA Technical Committee
>>> Secretary, OASIS DITA Translation Subcommittee
>>> Member, OASIS DocBook Technical Committee
>>>  
>>> +972-8-974-1569 (direct)
>>> +972-57-314-1170 (mobile)
>>> http://www.tech-tav.com
>>>
>>>
>>>   
>>>       
>> -- 
>> email - azydron@xml-intl.com
>> smail - c/o Mr. A.Zydron
>>     PO Box 2167
>>         Gerrards Cross
>>         Bucks SL9 8XF
>>     United Kingdom
>> Mobile +(44) 7966 477 181
>> FAX    +(44) 1753 480 465
>> www - http://www.xml-intl.com
>>
>> This message contains confidential information and is intended only for
>> the individual named.  If you are not the named addressee you may not
>> disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail.  Please notify the sender
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Inline Attachment Follows-----
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  "reference.dtd">
>>
>>
>>     
> DITA Proposed Feature # 12038> 
>   
>> Add a new element based on an expansion of the extant
>> DITA
>>
>>     
>  
>   
>>> <keyword> element to assist in the resolution and handling
>>>       
>> of abbreviated-form text such as acronyms, general abbreviations,
>> and short forms in source and target text within
>> DITA
>>
>>     
>  documents
>   
>> Longer description       Abbreviated
>> forms, such as acronyms, are ubiquitous in
>> technical
>>
>>     
>  documentation.
>   
>> Although there are similarities between abbreviated forms and glossary
>> terms from the localization and presentation points of
>> view,
>>
>>     
>  abbreviated
>   
>> forms are a special case. Abbreviated forms need to be expanded in
>> the first encounter within a printed document. In electronic published
>> documents, abbreviated form expansions can also be made available
>> in the form of a hyperlink or 'tool tip' mechanism. In addition, the
>> abbreviated form expanded text should be available for
>> automatic
>>
>>     
>  inclusion
>   
>> in glossary entries for the publication. This proposal relates to
>> all types of abbreviations, such as acronyms, initialisms, apocope,
>> clipping, elision, syncope, syllabic abbreviation, and portmanteau.
>>     
>
>   
>> Statement of RequirementAbbreviated forms
>> and their translations require special handling:
>>     
>
>   
>> Some abbreviated forms are never translated, especially those
>> that are intended for a knowledgeable, technical audience, as well
>> as those that refer to standardized international concepts, such
>> as
>>
>>     
>  
>   
>>> XML.
>>>       
>> Some abbreviated forms represent a brand name for which
>> the
>>
>>     
>  original
>   
>> expanded form is no longer used or is secondary to the abbreviated
>> forms.
>> Abbreviated forms such as xml, jpg,
>> and html are typically used in their original form, that
>> is, they may be quoted in lower case, and they are not translated.
>> Abbreviated forms that have equivalent expressions in
>> other
>>
>>     
>  languages
>   
>> are typically translated. United Nations (UN) and Weapons of Mass
>> Destruction (WMD) have equivalents in other languages besides English.
>> For instance, the French translation of “UN” is “ONU”.
>> Some abbreviated forms are translated for clarity and also referred
>> to in their original untranslated form. For instance, OASIS
>>     
>>> may be translated so that readers understand its significance in
>>>       
>> their native language but the original acronym would be retained in
>> the translation to facilitate electronic search.
>> The first occurrence of an abbreviated form in the target language
>> may require a different formulation than the first occurrence of an
>> abbreviated form in the source language, depending on the
>> target
>>
>>     
>  audience
>   
>> and the grammatical features of the target language.
>> If the first occurrence of an abbreviated form in English
>> is followed by its full form in parentheses, the translated version
>> may require the expanded form followed by the abbreviated form in
>> parentheses. It might also be necessary to include the English and
>> a translation.
>>     
> For example, in a Polish book on Java
>   
>> Web
>>
>>     
>  programming,
>   
>> the first reference to JSP may appear as follows:
>>     
> JSP (ang.
>   
>> Java Server Pages)Another example from a publication concerning
>> OASIS:
>>     
> OASIS (ang. Organization for the Advancement of Structured
>   
>> Information Standards—organizacja dla propagowania strukturalnych
>> standardów infomracyjnych)In the first example, the translator
>> assumes the reader will not require a translation of the
>> English
>>
>>     
>  abbreviated
>   
>> form. In the second example, the translator assumes the reader may
>> not understand the English expanded form and therefore adds
>> the
>>
>>     
>  translation.
>
>   
>> Technical<br />> ProposalThe
>>
>>     
>  proposal
>   
>> is to create an element which would be a specialized form of
>> the
>>
>>     
>  
>   
>>> <keyword> element. The abbreviated form resolution will
>>>       
>> be via the conref attribute to the abbreviated form's
>> text for short, expanded and first forms. The abbreviated form element
>> is designed to be extended via specialization to reflect the actual
>> form of abbreviation, for
>> example:
>>     
> <acronym
>   
>  conref="acronyms.dita#acronyms/abs"/>
>   
>>> The entry in the acronyms.dita file would
>>>       
>> be as follows:
>>     
> <abbreviated-form id="abs">
>   
>>   <expanded>Anti-lock Braking System</expanded>
>>   <short>ABS</short>
>>   <surface-form>Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)</surface-form>
>> </abbreviated-form>The ID of
>> the
>>
>>     
>  abbreviated-form
>   
>>> element only needs to be unique to the file in which it is defined,
>>>       
>> and does not need to match the acronym, so translations of the above
>> example will continue to use
>> id="abs".The
>>
>>     
>  
>   
>>> <expanded> form will be a specialization of the 
>>> <keyword> element, while the <short>
>>> element will be a specialization of the <data>
>>> element. This means that the expanded term is a normal phrase, while
>>>       
>> the short form is metadata that is hidden when processes do not know
>> what to do with it. Translation processes should treat this
>> data
>>
>>     
>  specialization
>   
>> as a subflow element for the purposes of translation. The 
>>     
>>> <surface-form> element represents how the acronym should
>>>       
>> be displayed on the first occurrence of the acronym, or for hypertext
>> display with the tool-tip rendition.
>>     
>
>   
>>
>> This new element…
>> Is specialized from this base element…
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> <abbreviated-form>
>> <keyword>
>>
>>
>> <expanded>
>> <keyword>
>>
>>
>> <short>
>> <data>
>>
>>
>> <surface-form>
>> <keyword>
>>
>>
>>
>> The first time an abbreviated form is encountered, the
>> processing tool should use the text in
>> the
>>
>>     
>  <surface-form>
>   
>>> element. Subsequent instances should be replaced by the contents
>>>       
>> of the <short> element.
>> The
>>
>>     
>  <expanded>
>   
>>> form is designed to be used in glossaries. These three elements
>>>       
>> therefore allow the full needs of acronym handling to be met:
>>     
>
>   
>> First occurrence rendition
>> Subsequent short form rendition
>> Glossary entry
>> This proposal assumes that <keyword>
>>     
>>> can be nested inside <keyword>, which is not
>>>       
>> supported in DITA 1.1, but is a proposed feature of DITA 1.2 (see
>> proposal #12020).     
>> Translation IssuesThe following cases must
>> be contemplated when working with documents that
>> require
>>
>>     
>  internationalization:
>
>   
>> If there is no short form for the target language, then
>> the
>>
>>     
>  
>   
>>> <short> element will be empty to signify that no short
>>>       
>> form exists for this language. The <surface-form>
>>     
>>> must always contain the text that will be displayed for the first
>>>       
>> occurrence. Consider the following example in English:
>>     
>
>   
>>> <abbreviated-form id="wmd">
>>>       
>>   <expanded>Weapons of Mass Destruction</expanded>
>>   <short>WMD</short>
>>   <surface-form>Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)</surface-form>
>> </abbreviated-form>In Spanish, this becomes:
>>     
>
>   
>>> <abbreviated-form id="wmd" xml:lang="es">
>>>       
>>   <expanded>armas de destrucción masiva</expanded>
>>   <short/>
>>   <surface-form>armas de destrucción masiva</surface-form>
>> </abbreviated-form>
>> In some languages, like Spanish, abbreviated-form expansion
>> should be written in lower case. This can lead to a grammatical error
>> if the first appearance of an abbreviated form occurs at the beginning
>> of a sentence. The same problem may arise with the indefinite article
>> in English 'a' depending on whether the text to be inserted begins
>> with a vowel. It is up to the composition/display software to handle
>> this. For example, the acronym for AIDS should be translated as:
>>     
>
>   
>>> <abbreviated-form id="aids" xml:lang="es">
>>>       
>>   <expanded>síndrome de inmuno-deficiencia adquirida</expanded>
>>   <short>SIDA</short>
>>   <surface-form>síndrome de inmuno-deficiencia
>> adquirida
>>
>>     
>  (SIDA</surface-form>
>   
>> </abbreviated-form>Normally
>> the
>>
>>     
>  <surface-form>
>   
>>> version of the abbreviated form in the above example could not be
>>>       
>> used at the start of a sentence, because it begins with a lower case
>> letter. It is up to the composition software for the given language
>> to cope with these requirements.
>>     
>
>   
>> Abbreviated forms can cause problems primarily for inflected
>> languages because abbreviated form expansion needs to be presented
>> in the nominative case, without any inflection. This can be achieved
>> by placing the expansion of the abbreviated form in
>> parentheses
>>
>>     
>  immediately
>   
>> following the acronym in the <expanded> element.
>> For example, the Polish acronym for the European Union may be:
>>     
>
>   
>>> <abbreviated-form id="eu" xml:lang="pl">
>>>       
>>   <expanded>Unia Europejska</expanded>
>>   <short>UE</short>
>>   <surface-form>UE (Unia Europejska)</surface-form>
>> </abbreviated-form>Using the above construct enables
>> automated handling of the abbreviated form in Polish without causing
>> any problems with grammatical inflection. For example, when stating
>> that something occurred within the EU, the inflected form in Polish
>> caused by the use of the locative case would have to be used. For
>> the actual abbreviated form itself this is not a problem,
>> since
>>
>>     
>  abbreviated
>   
>> forms are not inflected. Consider, for example, the phrase In the
>> European Union (EU) there are many institutions…:
>>     
> W Unii
>   
>> Europejskiej (UE) jest wiele instytucji…
>>     
> However, by allowing
>   
>> the translator to control how the text is displayed via the 
>>     
>>> <surface-form> element, the first occurrence for the
>>>       
>> abbreviated form allows the translator to use the following acceptable
>> construct:
>>     
> W UE (Unia Europejska) jest wiele instytucji…
>
>   
>> RenditionAuthors will enter the 
>>     
>>> <abbreviated-form> element for every occurrence of a
>>>       
>> given acronym.
>>     
> At compose time, when putting together
>   
>> the
>>
>>     
>  publication,
>   
>> the publishing tool will print the <surface-form>
>>     
>>> element the first time. The ABS acronym used in previous examples
>>>       
>> would be rendered as:
>>     
> The Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) system
>   
>> will prevent the car from skidding in adverse weather conditions.
>>     
>>> Subsequent instances will then be rendered as:
>>>       
> The ABS system
>   
>> will provide the driver with feedback via the
>> brake
>>
>>     
>  pedal.
>   
>> Technical Requirements       A new 
>>     
>>> <abbreviated-form> element needs to be created, which
>>>       
>> is a specialization of the <keyword> element.
>> The content model of <abbreviated-form>
>> was
>>
>>     
>  described
>   
>> above in 
>> scope="local" type="section">> text="Technical
>>
>>     
>  Proposal"
>   
>> ?>.
>>     
>
>   
>> New or Changed Specification LanguageThe
>> language for the language and architectural specifications can be
>> taken from the information in the above sections. That information
>> is not repeated here to save the user from having to read it
>> all
>>
>>     
>  twice.> Caret?>
>
>   
>> CostsWe do not believe that the addition
>> of the <abbreviated-form> elements as
>> a
>>
>>     
>  specialization
>   
>> of <keyword>, and its child
>> elements
>>
>>     
>  <expanded>
>   
>>> , <short>, and <surface-form>
>>> involve significant work.
>>>       
>
>   
>> BenefitsAbbreviated forms will be handled
>> in a uniform and consistent manner. The handling of the abbreviated
>> form will be under the control of the composition software. The first
>> occurrence of the abbreviated form can show
>> the
>>
>>     
>  <surface-form>
>   
>>> . The text for both the source and target languages will be consistent
>>>       
>> as it will be resolved via the conref attribute from
>> a single source. The resolution of the abbreviated form can
>> be
>>
>>     
>  completely
>   
>> under the control of the composition software so that
>> glossary,
>>
>>     
>  tooltip,
>   
>> and first forms can be provided as required to meet the
>> end-user
>>
>>     
>  requirements.
>
>   
>>
>>
>>
>>     
>
>
>
>   


-- 
email - azydron@xml-intl.com
smail - c/o Mr. A.Zydron
	PO Box 2167
        Gerrards Cross
        Bucks SL9 8XF
	United Kingdom
Mobile +(44) 7966 477 181
FAX    +(44) 1753 480 465
www - http://www.xml-intl.com

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late or incomplete, or contain viruses.  The sender therefore does not
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is required please request a hard-copy version. Unless explicitly stated
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