<h2 style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0px;">Translation Programme Put Out for
Community Review</h2>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: small;">ICANN unveils multi-language approach
for organisation</p>
<p style="margin: 15px 0px 0px;">13 February 2008</p>
<p><strong></strong><strong></strong>The draft translation programme that will
be used by ICANN to communicate and interact with non-English speakers has been
put out for community comment today.</p>
<p>The programme has two main aims: to inform people about ICANN as an
organisation, including its history, processes, component parts and evolution;
and to allow people to participate effectively in the organisation's ongoing
decision-making and policy work.</p>
<p>The mission of the programme is to provide those who are not fluent English
speakers with an equal level of access to influence and participate in the work
of the organisation.</p>
<p>A 27-page report, put together by independent expert and localization
specialist Bert Esselink, and overseen by ex-head of translation at the United
Nations, Omar Abou-Zahr, in consultation with the community and ICANN staff,
makes a series of recommendations. </p>
<p>They include that:</p>
<ul><li>ICANN divide its documents into four types: Outreach information (including
factsheets, FAQs, glossaries, brochures); Strategic documents (including the
Strategic Plan, Operating Plan, Budget, Annual Report); Policy documents
(including issue papers, preliminary and final reports, SSAC papers, IDN status
reports); and Other documents (including announcement, forms, contracts, and web
pages).
</li><li>Outreach information is translated into 10 languages: Arabic, Chinese,
French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian;
Strategic information is translated into five languages: Arabic, Chinese,
French, Spanish and Russian; Policy documents to be translated as a default into
five languages with variation depending on circumstances, and Other documents
translated into languages defined by translation guidelines and in consultation
with the relevant body in each case.
</li><li>The ICANN community is integrated into the translation programme to act as
expert reviewers
</li><li>A dedicated translation coordinator is hired to help create standardized
processes for translation
</li><li>The translation service is outsourced to a third-party/parties
</li><li>Interpretation during ICANN meetings is provided in the national language of
the country where the meeting is organized, as well as the most relevant
languages for the region. </li></ul>
<p>On the issue of languages, the "five languages" serve as the most effective
balance of resources for ICANN to achieve participation in its processes. The
"ten languages" allow for 85 percent of the online world to be kept in contact
with what ICANN is, and does in its global coordination role.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="blocked::http://www.icann.org/images/top-10-languages-pie-13feb08.gif" href="http://www.icann.org/images/top-10-languages-pie-13feb08.gif">View pie
chart</a></p>
<p>The programme has been put out for public comment until 14 March, and <a title="blocked::http://delhi.icann.org/13feb08/workshop/translation-policy" href="http://delhi.icann.org/13feb08/workshop/translation-policy">a special
meeting will be held at the ICANN meeting in Delhi, Wednesday 13 February 3.30
to 4.30pm</a>.</p>
<p>Following community input, the programme will be redrafted as necessary and
put into a Final Report. The intention at this stage is to send the programme to
the Board for review and/or approval at the Paris meeting in June. </p>
<p>You can view the Draft Translation Programme in full here: <a title="blocked::http://www.icann.org/translations/draft-translation-programme-v2.2-13feb08-en_EN.pdf" href="http://www.icann.org/translations/draft-translation-programme-v2.2-13feb08-en_EN.pdf">http://www.icann.org/translations/draft-translation-programme-v2.2-13feb08-en_EN.pdf</a>
[PDF, 128K]. Comments should be sent to <a title="blocked::mailto:translation-programme@icann.org" href="mailto:translation-programme@icann.org">translation-programme@icann.org</a>.
All comments can be viewed at: <a title="blocked::http://forum.icann.org/lists/translation-programme" href="http://forum.icann.org/lists/translation-programme">http://forum.icann.org/lists/translation-programme</a>.</p>