For Ballot - XLIFF TC Charter clarification

[Tony Jewtushenko <Tony.Jewtushenko@oracle.com>]

XML Localisation Interchange File Format (XLIFF)

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the OASIS XLIFF TC is to define, through extensible XML 
vocabularies, and promote the adoption of, a specification for the 
interchange of localisable software and document based objects and 
related metadata. To date, the committee has published two 
specifications - XLIFF 1.0 and XLIFF 1.1 - that define how to mark up 
and capture localisable data that will interoperate with different 
processes or phases without loss of information. The specifications are 
tool-neutral, support the entire localization process, and support 
common software and document data formats and markup languages. The 
specifications provide an extensibility mechanism to allow the 
development of tools compatible with an implementer's data formats and 
workflow requirements.  The extensibility mechanism provides controlled 
inclusion of information not defined in the specification.

The state of software and documentation localisation before XLIFF was 
that a software or documentation provider delivered their localisable 
resources to a localisation service provider in a number of disparate 
file formats. Once software providers and technical communicators 
commenced implementing XLIFF, the task of interchanging localisation 
data was simplified. Using proprietary and/or nonstandard resource 
formats force either the source provider or the localisation service 
provider to implement costly and inefficient pre-processing of 
localisable content. For publishers with many proprietary or 
non-standard formats, this requirement becomes a major hurdle when 
attempting to localise their software. For software developers and 
technical communicators employing enterprise localisation tools and 
processes, XLIFF defines a standard but extensible vocabulary that 
captures relevant metadata for any point in the lifecycle which can be 
exchanged between a variety of commercial and open-source tools.

The first phase, completed 31 October 2003, created a committee 
specification that concentrated on software UI resource file localisable 
data requirements. The next phase consists of promoting the adoption of 
XLIFF throughout the industry through additional collateral and 
specifications, continuing to advance the committee specification 
towards an official OASIS standard, contributing to the development of a 
standard localisation directives tag library and consuming it when 
available, and defining and publishing an implementation guide for 
document based content that addresses segmentation and alignment 
requirements. To encourage adoption of XLIFF, the TC will define and 
publish implementation guides for the most commonly used resource 
formats (HTML, RTF, Window Resources, Java Resource Bundles, and gettext 
PO Files), and will include reference implementations of XLIFF 1.1.

XLIFF TC work and deliverables adhere to OASIS IPR policy.

List of Deliverables

- XLIFF 1.1 Document Segmentation & Alignment Content Implementation 
Guide,  including separate XHTML/HTML and RTF Representation Guides - 
June 21, 2005
- XLIFF 1.1 Java Resource Bundle Representation Guide - June 21, 2005
- XLIFF 1.1 Windows Resources Representation Guide - June 21, 2005
- XLIFF 1.1 PO File Representation Guide - June 21, 2005
- XLIFF 1.1 XML Representation guide - June 21,  2005

- Submit XLIFF 1.1 for consideration as OASIS Standard - June 21, 2005

In addition, the XLIFF TC will endeavour to deliver the following as 
time and resources permit:

- XLIFF 1.1 Reference Implementation (as Open Source and probably in 
collaboration with Trans-WS OASIS TC),  will at least include filters 
for conversion to/from Java - Resource Bundles and PO Files
- XLIFF 1.1 ResX Representation Guide
- Review and input to development of Standard Localisation Directives 
Tag Library
- XLIFF 1.1: Consume / Implement Standard Localisation Directives Tag 
Library (if available)

-- 
Tony Jewtushenko				
Principal Product Manager - Oracle Application Development Tools
Oracle Corporation, Ireland

mailto:tony.jewtushenko@oracle.com
Direct tel: +353.1.8039080