MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group Charter
Obsolete. Please see the newest MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group Charter
The mission of the MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group, part of the Internationalization Activity, is to define meta-data for web content (mainly HTML5) and "deep Web" content, for example a CMS or XML files from which HTML pages are generated, that facilitates its interaction with multilingual technologies and localization processes.
| End date | 31 December 2013 |
|---|---|
| Confidentiality | Proceedings are public |
| Initial Chairs | Felix Sasaki (DFKI / W3C Fellow), David Filip (UL), Dave Lewis (TCD) |
| Initial Team Contacts (FTE %: 30) | Felix Sasaki |
| Usual Meeting Schedule | Teleconferences: Weekly
Face-to-face: 3-4 per year |
Scope
The MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group will enhance the foundation for the integration of language related technologies into core Web technologies. This will be achieved via the creation of a W3C Recommendation defining metadata applicable by language related technologies in the Web. Beginning with the network of stakeholders built via the MultilingualWeb and META-NET projects, the Working Group will create broad consensus across communities, involving producers of content, localization workers, language technology experts, browser vendors, tool makers and users. MultilingualWeb-LT will lay the technical foundations for new business opportunities for content creators and the vendors who provide them with language and content services and tools. This will enable content creators and distributors to reach out to a growing linguistic and cultural diversity of Web users world wide, and to respond to their specific needs in a timely and cost-effective manner.
MultilingualWeb-LT will base its work on the ITS 1.0 specification. MultilingualWeb-LT will produce the successor of ITS 1.0.
ITS 1.0 provides conceptual, prose descriptions of its data categories for XML documents, with examples of possible syntax. The MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group has four goals:
- To develop the successor of ITS 1.0.
- To concentrate on the use of these data categories in HTML5 and “deep Web” content, for example a CMS or XML files from which HTML pages are generated. This does not exclude the definition of additional data categories (see below), but describes the focus of the Working Group.
- To define processing requirements of data categories formally and in a consistent manner.
- To foster reference implementations of the data categories in other, XML and non-XML environments that are on the Web or closely related to the Web: CMS systems, Web based localization chain services, online machine translation systems.
In addition to the data categories mentioned above, MultilingualWeb-LT MAY discuss data categories in the following areas. The MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group does not commit to define metadata for these data categories, but MAY do so, if this does not influence the timeline described below.
- Translation provenance (human and machine translation of different types)
- Human or automated post- and pre-editing, including degree of post-editing
- Legal metadata pertaining to ownership and usage rights
- QA provenance: application of translation QA; result of QA; human and tool input into QA assessment
- Topic or domain information
In addition, the MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group MAY discuss "Issues and Proposed Features" provided by the ITS Interest Group.
For HTML5, the prose description of data categories will be normatively implemented as both a microdata and RDFa Lite 1.1. This approach is taken in order to avoid the development of a new metadata mechanism for HTML5 and to avoid adding markup attributes to the HTML5 language. The only exception MAY be adding the "translate" attribute to the HTML5 language, see the HTML liaison description below.
When discussing solutions, the MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group will always look for existing standards.
The working group MAY decide to define and implement further data categories, if this does not influence the timeline described below.
Many of the above data categories could be defined in a complex manner, e.g. legal metadata. The Working Group MUST NOT pursue complex definitions if they would lead to divergence from the timeline defined below.
Success Criteria
The MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group is expected to demonstrate interoperable implementations during the Call for Implementations step. "Interoperable" means here at least that the metadata must be available in various parts of Web related technologies, like CMS systems, localization chains etc., or in profiles of related formats like XLIFF.
Out of Scope
The MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group will focus on metadata that can be added to HTML5 or to "deep Web" content (for example a CMS or XML files from which HTML pages are generated). The Working Group will not define container formats for localization, like XLIFF, but will cooperate closely with the XLIFF TC and other relevant TCs, to ensure the compatibility of MultilingualWeb-LT metadata with these formats. The Working Group also will not address as part of their normative outcome metadata for styling formats like CSS or scripting languages like JavaScript. These topics MAY be addressed, if time permits, in a non-normative manner, or in a successor of the Working Group.
Metadata such as the "Translate" data category can be processed in various ways: to extract translatable text for subsequent localization, as input to a machine translation systems etc. The MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group will not define processing expectations for MultilingualWeb-LT metadata. In an (optional) primer document, the Working Group MAY give non-normative guidance on the topic.
Deliverables
- A W3C Recommendation about metadata for multilingual language technologies and localization processes. This MAY be a new version of the ITS 1.0 specification. The Working Group will coordinate this decision with the stakeholders who have developed ITS 1.0 and who are now active in the ITS Interest Group.
Other Deliverables
The Working Group will produce a test suite intended to promote implementation of the Candidate Recommendation, and to assess interoperability between these implementations.
The Working Group may also:
- Author a primer that includes guidance on the use of the Recommendation, and
- Propose a new charter for follow on work on these specifications as per the World Wide Web Consortium Process Document.
Milestones
| Note: The group will document significant changes from this initial schedule on the group home page. | ||||||
| Specification | FPWD | LC | CR | PR | Rec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W3C Recommendation about metadata for multilingual language technologies and localization processes | May 2012 | November 2012 | March 2013 | October 2013 | December 2013 | |
Timeline View Summary
- February 2012: First teleconference
- April 2012: First face-to-face meeting
- May 2012: FPWD of specification about metadata for multilingual language technologies and localization processes
- November 2012: LCWD of specification
- March 2013: CR of specification
- October 2013: PR of specification
- December 2013: Publication of W3C Recommendation
Dependencies and Liaisons
Dependencies
- ITS Interest Group
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will closely work with the ITS Interest Group about future developments of ITS, to avoid duplication or dilution of efforts.
- HTML Working Group
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will closely interact with the HTML WG in order to assure that the metadata defined within MultilingualWeb-LT extends HTML5 in a manner that is in agreement with the HMTL WG, and to assure that MultilingualWeb-LT metadata does not lead to any impact on Web browser behaviour that does not have the consensus of the HTML WG. This interaction already started with the HTML5 Last Call comment HTML5 is missing attribute for specifying translatability of content. This comment is in part driven forward by the people and organizations who will also join the MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group. As explained in the scope section, the "translate" attribute will be the only addition to the HTML5 language requested by the MultilingualWeb-LT WG. Other data categories discussed by the MultilingualWeb-LT WG will make use of RDFa and microdata.
Liaisons
- Internationalization Core Working Group
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG and the I18N Core WG will work together in fostering the adoption of metadata for the multilingual web within upcoming technologies like HTML5.
- RDF Web Applications Working Group
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will assure that the metadata approach being developed is allowing a conversion to RDFa, to foster integration of MultilingualWeb-LT metadata into the Semantic Web.
Furthermore, MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group expects to follow these W3C Recommendations:
Relationsships to External Groups
Dependencies
- OASIS XML Localisation Interchange File Format (XLIFF) TC
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will liaise with the OASIS XLIFF TC to understand Localization Industry requirements for MultilingualWeb-LT metadata and to ensure that its metadata data types are considered and incorporated into the XLIFF standard where necessary.
Liaisons
- Unicode Unicode Localization Interoperability (ULI) TC
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will liaise with the ULI TC in order to understand latest developments of segmentation rules for localization interoperability and how this may relate to data types and best practices elaborated by MultilingualWeb-LT. As ULI moves on it might be interesting to watch if they tap morphology and lemmatization areas, XLIFF profiling, content leveraging memories etc.
- ETSI Localisation Industry Standards (LIS) ISG
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will liaise with ETSI LIS ISG to have insight into the development of the former LISA OSCAR standards portfolio, which includes important legacy standards such as TMX, TBX, and SRX. It is especially important to watch TMX, as it is currently not being further developed in any other open standardization body.
- ISO TC 37
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will liaise with ISO TC 37 to understand further development of TBX and SRX standards if any such development occurs within ISO TC 37.
- OASIS Open Architecture for XML Authoring and Localization Reference Model (OAXAL) TC
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will liaise with the OASIS OAXAL TC to understand how the OAXAL Reference Model, and its approach to linking the processing of source language files with localization workflow file such as XLIFF, could inform the work of the MultilingualWeb-LT WG.
- OASIS Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) TC
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will liaise with the OASIS DITA TC to understand their current stance on component content mark-up in relation to localization and translation (including XLIFF interoperability) and how this could be developed in line with the MultilingualWeb-LT outputs.
- OASIS Content Management Interoperability Services (CMIS) TC
- The MultilingualWeb-LT WG will liaise with OASIS CMIS TC to determine their model of document grouping could support multi-document mark-up requirements and also to inform any future CMIS revisions that may include localization, which is currently out of scope.
Participation
To be successful, the MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group is expected to have 10 or more active participants for its duration. Effective participation to MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group is expected to consume one work day per week for each participant; two days per week for editors. The MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group will allocate also the necessary resources for building the test suite for its specification.
Participants are reminded of the Good Standing requirements of the W3C Process.
Communication
This group primarily conducts its work on the public mailing list public-multilingualweb-lt@w3.org. An additional Member-only list member-multilingualweb-lt@w3.org will be used for administrative purposes.
Information about the group (deliverables, participants, face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, etc.) is available from the MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group home page.
Decision Policy
As explained in the Process Document (section 3.3), this group will seek to make decisions when there is consensus. When the Chair puts a question and observes dissent, after due consideration of different opinions, the Chair should record a decision (possibly after a formal vote) and any objections, and move on.
Patent Policy
This Working Group operates under the W3C Patent Policy (5 February 2004 Version). To promote the widest adoption of Web standards, W3C seeks to issue Recommendations that can be implemented, according to this policy, on a Royalty-Free basis.
For more information about disclosure obligations for this group, please see the W3C Patent Policy Implementation.
About this Charter
This charter for the MultilingualWeb-LT Working Group has been created according to section 6.2 of the Process Document. In the event of a conflict between this document or the provisions of any charter and the W3C Process, the W3C Process shall take precedence.
Change 15. June 2012: clarified affiliation of Felix Sasaki.
Dave Lewis, David Filip, Felix Sasaki
Copyright© 2011 W3C ® (MIT , ERCIM , Keio), All Rights Reserved.
$Date: 2012/09/27 17:39:16 $