RE: [dita] [dita-translation] TC/DITA/Translation Subcommittee Proposals

["Gershon L Joseph" <gershon@tech-tav.com>]

Please don't reply to my email on this list. I thought I was replying to the translation subcommittee.

Gershon


-----Original Message-----
From: Gershon L Joseph [mailto:gershon@tech-tav.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:16 PM
To: 'Esrig, Bruce (Bruce)'; dita@lists.oasis-open.org
Cc: 'Eliot Kimber'
Subject: RE: [dita] [dita-translation] TC/DITA/Translation Subcommittee Proposals

I think the standards groups need to strongly recommend that implementers use a fully-compliant Unicode algorithm that correctly implements the script and directionality for each language used in the document. The fact that most authoring and translation tools today don't implement the Unicode algorithm correctly (or fully) is a serious issue, but it should not prevent us from recommending best practices and specs based on full implementation of the Unicode standard. I believe vendors will get there.

The W3C specs strongly recommend using markup to differentiate between different languages (script and direction), and not to use the embedded Unicode directionality characters (markers). While most Windows-based editors allow a phrase to include any language without enforcing markup, I think we should state in our documentation, as a best practice, that authoring tools should add such markup automatically. What do others feel about this suggestion?

Basically, what I'm suggesting is that if a user has an Arabic document (as set on the document element) and inserts an English phrase into a paragraph, while Unicode does not require the English phrase to be identified by surrounding it with an element, I think it should be a best practice to do so. To make life easier for authors and editors, the tools could add this markup for the author. Obviously authors using less sophisticated tools would have to add the markup manually in order to comply with the best practice.


Best Regards,
Gershon


-----Original Message-----
From: Esrig, Bruce (Bruce) [mailto:esrig@lucent.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 6:10 PM
To: dita@lists.oasis-open.org
Cc: 'Eliot Kimber'
Subject: RE: [dita] [dita-translation] TC/DITA/Translation Subcommittee Proposals