Media Alert: World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) launches Internationalization Initiative

Dear Media, Analysts and Friends of W3C,

Today W3C is pleased to announce the launch of the Internationalization Initiative to to make the World Wide Web truly world wide.
 
Internationalization ("i18n") is the design and development of applications, specifications, etc, in a way that ensures they will work well for users regardless of culture, region, or language. Web for All has long been an area of strong commitment at the W3C. From its inception in early 1998, the i18n activity has worked to enable universal access to the Web, producing an extensive range of completed and ongoing work to further internationalize the Web.  However, as the Web continues to grow, as we welcome more of our world onto the Web, we want and need to do more.
 
For more information, please see the press release at: https://www.w3.org/2018/07/pressrelease-i18n-initiative.html.en  (and text version below). 
 
Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to learn more or to schedule an interview about the Internationalization Initiative.
 
best,
Amy van der Hiel
W3C Media Relations Coordinator

   [1]W3C For immediate release

      [1] 
https://www.w3.org/


World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) launches Internationalization Initiative

W3C leads program to accelerate progress in making the World Wide Web
"worldwide"
     __________________________________________________________

   Read [2]testimonials from Founding Sponsors

   [3]Translations | [4]W3C Press Release Archive
     __________________________________________________________

      [3] 
https://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2018#i18n-initiative

      [4] 
https://www.w3.org/Press/


   [5]Internationalization (I18n) Activity: Making the World Wide
   Web truly world wide!

      [5] 
https://www.w3.org/International/sponsorship/


   [6]
https://www.w3.org/
 — 9 July 2018 — The [7]World Wide Web
   Consortium (W3C) announced today the launch of the
   [8]Internationalization Initiative to further internationalize
   the Web.

      [6] 
https://www.w3.org/

      [7] 
https://www.w3.org/

      [8] 
https://www.w3.org/International/sponsorship/


   Internationalization ("i18n") is the design and development of
   applications, specifications, etc, in a way that ensures they
   will work well for users regardless of culture, region, or
   language. Web for All has long been an area of strong
   commitment at the W3C. From its inception in early 1998, the
   i18n activity has worked to enable universal access to the Web,
   producing an extensive range of completed and [9]ongoing work
   to make the World Wide Web truly world wide. However, as the
   Web continues to grow, as we welcome more of our world onto the
   Web, we want and need to do more.

      [9] 
http://w3c.github.io/i18n-activity/projects/


   "The key thing about the Web is that it is universal. One of
   the most important actions taken at the start - to make sure
   the Web was for everyone - was Internationalization. People who
   come from different cultures and use different languages work
   to make sure that all kinds of languages, whether read from
   left or right, can be shared and used on the Web. That makes me
   very proud. Inclusive of all cultures, the Web is richer." said
   Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Web and W3C Director.

  Tremendous progress in internationalizing the Web over recent decades,
  but more to do

   Internationalization makes it possible to use Web technologies
   with different languages, scripts, and cultures. The W3C
   Internationalization activity works with W3C working groups and
   liaises with other organizations to internationalize the Web.

   The Web community has made tremendous progress in
   internationalizing the Web over recent decades, from making
   Unicode the foundation of the Web, to providing support for
   bidirectional writing systems such as Arabic and Hebrew, to
   addressing styling needs for vertical text and other native
   typographic features, etc. But as Web penetration in language
   communities increases, as usage scenarios grow, and as new
   applications such as digital publishing emerge, there remains
   more to do.

   Ethnologue lists [10]7,100 languages in current use, but
   [11]W3Techs reports that less than two hundred languages are
   currently used for content pages on the Web, and that over half
   of all websites use English. Only around a quarter of current
   Web users use English online. If the Web is to live up to the
   "World Wide" portion of its name, it must support the
   requirements of worldwide users, and allow them to engage with
   content in the own languages.

     [10] 
https://www.ethnologue.com/guides/how-many-languages

     [11] 
https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_language/all


   "Supporting the W3C Internationalization Initiative with
   funding or expertise is a vital way that our Web community
   creates the future of the global Web." according to Jeff Jaffe,
   W3C CEO.

  W3C takes action to expand Internationalization core work

   The Internationalization Initiative will attract participation
   in the form of stakeholders to provide expert personnel and
   additional funding to provide a significant boost to work in
   three main aspects of the internationalization continuum:
     * Language enablement ensures that the Web supports the
       native typographic features that users around the world are
       accustomed to, and enables users to interact with the Web
       in line with long-standing print traditions.
     * Developer support helps creators of specifications, of
       system-level tools (browsers, printers), of user-level
       tools (editors), to understand and implement support for
       international features. Plans to provide additional support
       include investigating ways to meet internationalization
       requirements in new areas of technology and tooling.
     * Author support expands educational and outreach to people
       creating web content in their own language, as well as to
       companies who build or localize a large number of websites
       in many languages.

   Typical activities include:
     * Gap analysis & prioritization; Documenting requirements.
     * Reviews; Guidelines & checklists; Architectural solutions.
     * Educational resources; Outreach; Checker tools.

  Founding Sponsors and participants partnering to truly connect all
  communities

   W3C Members Alibaba, Apple, Advanced Publishing Lab (Keio
   University), Monotype, and The Paciello Group have stepped
   forward as [12]Founding Sponsors of the Internationalization
   Initiative. Sponsors enjoy [13]unique benefits, including a
   seat on the Internationalization Review Board and the ability
   to sponsor specified goals or projects.

     [12] 
https://www.w3.org/International/sponsorship/

     [13] 
https://www.w3.org/International/sponsorship/#levels


   In addition to sponsorship funding, the W3C is seeking
   stakeholders to provide expert personnel to help with the
   initiatives outlined above. It is important for people around
   the world to contribute to building the international Web on
   behalf of their own communities. In addition, those who develop
   Web technologies need to ensure that resources are available so
   that developing regions don't become second-class citizens on
   the Web.

About W3C Internationalization

   The mission of [14]W3C Internationalization (I18n) Initiative
   is to enable universal access to the World Wide Web. It
   proposes and coordinates the adoption at W3C of techniques,
   conventions, technologies, and designs that enable and enhance
   the use of the Web, with and between the various different
   languages, scripts, regions, and cultures. W3C pursues this
   goal in various ways, including collaboration with W3C groups,
   coordination with other organizations, creation of educational
   materials, and technical work itself on various topics.
   Acclaimed work ranges from the popular [15]Internationalization
   Checker, to the widely used documents on Working with Time
   Zones, Character Model for the World Wide Web, or Requirements
   for Japanese Text Layout.

     [14] 
https://www.w3.org/International/

     [15] 
https://validator.w3.org/i18n-checker/


About the World Wide Web Consortium

   The mission of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is to lead
   the Web to its full potential by creating technical standards
   and guidelines to ensure that the Web remains open, accessible,
   and interoperable for everyone around the globe. W3C develops
   well known specifications such as HTML5, CSS, and the Open Web
   Platform as well as work on security and privacy, all created
   in the open and provided for free and under the unique W3C
   Patent Policy. For its work to make online videos more
   accessible with captions and subtitles, W3C received a 2016
   Emmy Award.

   W3C's vision for "One Web" brings together thousands of
   dedicated technologists representing more than 400 [16]Member
   organizations and dozens of industry sectors. W3C is jointly
   hosted by the [17]MIT Computer Science and Artificial
   Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the United States, the
   [18]European Research Consortium for Informatics and
   Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France, [19]Keio
   University in Japan and [20]Beihang University in China. For
   more information see [21]
https://www.w3.org/.


     [16] 
https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List

     [17] 
https://www.csail.mit.edu/

     [18] 
https://www.ercim.eu/

     [19] 
https://www.keio.ac.jp/

     [20] 
http://ev.buaa.edu.cn/

     [21] 
https://www.w3.org/


   End Press Release

Media Contact

   Amy van der Hiel, W3C Media Relations Coordinator
   <[22]w3t-pr@w3.org>
  mailto:w3t-pr@w3.org

   +1.617.253.5628 (US, Eastern Time)
     __________________________________________________________

Testimonials from Founding Sponsors

   [23]Advanced Publishing Lab, Keio University • [24]Alibaba •
   [25]Monotype • [26]The Paciello Group

  Advanced Publishing Lab, Keio University

     Keio Advanced Publishing Laboratory (APL), which is
     sponsored by four major Japanese publishers and the biggest
     ebook distributor in Japan, sincerely appreciates W3C for
     the internationalization of the Web.

     APL welcomes the Internationalization Initiative. We
     ardently desire to contribute for W3C so that the Web will
     truly work for stakeholders all around the world. APL is
     convinced that many requirements from the Japanese market
     are also applicable to other languages, scripts, and
     culture.


    Jun Murai, Director of APL, Professor, Keio University

  Alibaba

     A Web that truly works for stakeholders all around the world
     is in the best interests of the entire Web community, and
     more broadly, the human society. Alibaba sincerely hopes
     that, through I18N initiative activities such as this
     sponsorship program, more members in the community could
     collaborate on taking care of the areas that have been less
     adequately covered in the current I18N activity and handling
     the new emerging challenges. Some specific suggested topics
     include the requirements from Southeast Asia and India. As a
     member in the Web community, we want to make sure that the
     Web for All definition covers them as well.


    Judy Zhu, Alibaba, Standardization Director

  Monotype

     Monotype is proud to support W3C Internationalization
     initiative. We believe this core activity of W3C contributes
     directly to building a stronger foundation of the Web, one
     that enables it to serve both as a main communication
     technology and a digital publishing medium. As such,
     ensuring that people can communicate in any language of the
     world and on any platform is a critical requirement, the one
     that is challenging and ambitious at the same time. The
     effects of this activity may not be immediately visible to a
     wide audience, but it is of vital importance for the
     adoption of the lesser used languages to connect people
     throughout the world together.


    Vladimir Levantovsky, Monotype, Director, Standards &
    Technology Strategy

  The Paciello Group

     @@Message@@


    Member representative name, title
     __________________________________________________________

   [27]Translations | [28]W3C Press Release Archive

     [27] 
https://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2018#i18n-initiative

     [28] 
https://www.w3.org/Press/

Received on Monday, 9 July 2018 11:01:45 UTC