Internationalizing the Web

Internationalization (i18n), Making the World Wide Web worldwide!

'i18n' is an abbreviation for 'internationalization' (because there are 18 letters between the 'i' and the 'n'). The mission of the W3C Internationalization activity is to ensure that W3C's formats and protocols are usable worldwide in all languages and in all writing systems.

W3C's goal is a Web for All, regardless of language script or culture. The web community has made tremendous progress in internationalizing the Web over recent decades, but as the Web increasingly penetrates into ever more language communities, as usage scenarios grow, and as new applications such as digital publishing emerge, there remains more to do.

For the Web to truly work for stakeholders all around the world, there must be a collaboration of language experts, web site designers, developers, and vendors who are active in moving the Web forward. To ensure a rapid response to the growth of the Web, the W3C wants to marshall the resources of organizations and experts who care about these problems and enlist their help in strengthening internationalization support for the Web. To accelerate progress in this area, the W3C is also looking to supplement the core funding it receives from W3C Member fees so that it can increase in-house resources dedicated to this work. Read more in the i18n Briefing Document. Contact Alan Bird <abird@w3.org> and Ralph Swick <swick@w3.org>.

i18n Platinum Sponsor

• A seat on the Internationalization Review Board.
• Opportunity to designate up to half of the funding toward specified goals or projects.
• Badges (or logo) with which to promote their role as Platinum sponsors of W3C Internationalization.

Amount: $100,000 USD annually

i18n Gold Sponsor

• A seat on the Internationalization Review Board.
• Opportunity to designate up to half of the funding toward specified goals or projects.
• Badges (or logo) with which to promote their role as Gold sponsors of W3C Internationalization.

Amount: $50,000 USD annually

i18n Silver Sponsor

• Opportunity to designate up to half of the funding toward specified goals or projects.
• Badges (or logo) with which to promote their role as Silver sponsors of W3C Internationalization.

Amount: $25,000 USD annually

i18n Bronze Sponsor

• Badges (or logo) with which to promote their role as Bronze sponsors of W3C Internationalization.

Amount: $10,000 USD annually

Global Inclusion and Participation

Voice Access to the Web for Underserved Communities

Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, south-east Asia and Latin America have a low rate of literacy among adults, sometimes less than 30 or 40 percent of the population. This is a high barrier for accessing written content and applications on the Web. The ability to "speak with the Web" through voice applications is an easier way to access the Web for many people with disabilities, low literacy, and people accessing Web content in a non-native language regardless of their literacy level. User scenarios, guidelines and best practices will be developed through this project. Estimated budget: $200,000 USD per year. Contact J. Alan Bird <abird@w3.org>

Improve Mobile Authoring

This project will investigate existing tools to author Web content from mobile phones, identify existing gaps in the landscape, develop the requirements of the targeted tool through a community-based process involving potential users, tools manufacturers, etc. and develop a first version to demonstrate the concept and bootstrap an open source initiative. Estimated budget: $80,000 USD per year. Contact J. Alan Bird <abird@w3.org>

W3C Workshops in New Regions

Hold more W3C Workshops in Brazil, Russia, India, China, in developing countries, and in other countries with emerging economies, to engage more individuals and organizations globally in informing, driving, and contributing to W3C work, with the goals of increasing access to the Web for more people around the world, and shifting the membership profile of W3C so that it better matches trends of Web usage. Estimated budget: $30,000 USD per year. Contact Alan Bird <abird@w3.org>

Enhanced W3C Offices Program

In order to improve the Web and make it truly global, W3C needs to work more closely with people in regions in the world that have other economic, social, political and educational conditions than the highly industrialized countries. To this end, we seek to expand and enhance the W3C Offices Program with activities to increase education, outreach, community forming, and regional feedback. Estimated budget: $80,000 USD per year. Contact Alan Bird <abird@w3.org>

Web Accessibility

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Sponsor

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is the leading international forum for development of authoritative solutions for Web accessibility. WAI enables partnering of industry, disability communities, accessibility research, government, and others interested in improving accessibility of the Web for people with disabilities and older people. WAI ensures that W3C technologies support accessibility; develops accessibility standards and guidelines for web content, browsers, multimedia players, authoring tools, and dynamic web content; develops resources for evaluation and repair of Web sites, and for education and outreach; and coordinates with research and development which may impact future accessibility of the Web. Benefits of WAI sponsorship include visibility for your organization's commitment to accessibility of the Web. Current and past sponsors are listed in Sponsoring WAI. Contact J. Alan Bird <abird@w3.org> and WAI <wai@w3.org>.

WAI Platinum Sponsor

• Identified as a sponsor for one W3C/WAI Workshop, or host for up to two face-to-face W3C/WAI meetings, per year.
• Full day or two half-day web accessibility briefings or consultations (annually; mutually agreeable schedule)
• Visibility in select WAI publications
• Participation in advisory discussions on WAI's work (WAI Steering Council)
• Featured on WAI Sponsor page as WAI Platinum Sponsor (logo, 2 images, 250-word blurb)
  
• Use of WAI Platinum Sponsor logo on Sponsor's website

Amount: $100,000 USD annually

WAI Gold Sponsor

• Half-day web accessibility briefings or consultations (annually; mutually agreeable schedule)
  
• Visibility in select WAI publications
• Participation in advisory discussions on WAI's work (WAI Steering Council)
• Featured on WAI Sponsor page as WAI Gold Sponsor (logo, 100-word blurb)
• Use of WAI Gold Sponsor logo on Sponsor's website
  

Amount: $50,000 USD annually

WAI Silver Sponsor

• Participation in advisory discussions on WAI's work (WAI Steering Council)
• Featured on WAI Sponsor page as WAI Silver Sponsor (logo and 50-word blurb)
• Use of WAI Silver Sponsor logo for this sponsor level on Sponsor's website

Amount: $25,000 USD annually

WAI Bronze Sponsor

• Visibility on WAI Sponsor page as WAI Bronze Sponsor

Amount: $10,000 USD annually

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