Comments on: @Media Day 2: Internationalisation: Awakening the sleeping Giant - Molly Holzshlag http://www.rnib.org.uk/wacblog/conferences/media-day-2-internationalisation-awakening-the-sleeping-giant-molly-holzshlag/ Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:55:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Luis de la Orden http://www.rnib.org.uk/wacblog/conferences/media-day-2-internationalisation-awakening-the-sleeping-giant-molly-holzshlag/#comment-7 Luis de la Orden Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:26:34 +0000 http://www.rnib.org.uk/wacblog/conferences/media2006/media-day-2-internationalisation-awakening-the-sleeping-giant-molly-holzshlag/#comment-7 Very well noted that "internationalisation is a piece of accessibility". But let me add that localisation is what guarantees this piece is delivered properly. I left the session very hopeful that the introduction Molly gave might help others start to understand the issues that revolve around porting content to other languages. Very few languages have experienced the level of inter-penetration of spoken styles as the English Language. Take as an example the use of the so-called British and American English which due to the mass media and entertainment can be understood respectively. With some other languages, it doesn't work like that as regional/national styles are more isolated and there is less exchange between parts. I have noticed that some people I talked to after the session seemed to think that all languages work as in English. The truth is that British and American styles, for example, are familiar to each other due to the constant exchange of books, tv programmes and media in general, meaning there is linguistic exchange to smooth psycholinguistic barriers. The same doesn't happen with similar styles as in Brazilian and European Portuguese, for example. Many books are still localised or even translated from European Portuguese to Brazilian Portuguese because we do not have as much linguistic exchange and consequently are not familiarised with these differences. It doesn't matter if the differences are just little, if one is not used to seeing, listening and reading them in their daily linguistic exchange they are considerable. I hope I may have added a little bit of light into the matter, Luis Very well noted that “internationalisation is a piece of accessibility”. But let me add that localisation is what guarantees this piece is delivered properly. I left the session very hopeful that the introduction Molly gave might help others start to understand the issues that revolve around porting content to other languages.

Very few languages have experienced the level of inter-penetration of spoken styles as the English Language. Take as an example the use of the so-called British and American English which due to the mass media and entertainment can be understood respectively. With some other languages, it doesn’t work like that as regional/national styles are more isolated and there is less exchange between parts.

I have noticed that some people I talked to after the session seemed to think that all languages work as in English. The truth is that British and American styles, for example, are familiar to each other due to the constant exchange of books, tv programmes and media in general, meaning there is linguistic exchange to smooth psycholinguistic barriers.

The same doesn’t happen with similar styles as in Brazilian and European Portuguese, for example. Many books are still localised or even translated from European Portuguese to Brazilian Portuguese because we do not have as much linguistic exchange and consequently are not familiarised with these differences. It doesn’t matter if the differences are just little, if one is not used to seeing, listening and reading them in their daily linguistic exchange they are considerable.

I hope I may have added a little bit of light into the matter,

Luis

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