- From: Kynn Bartlett <kynn-hwg@idyllmtn.com>
- Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 15:57:07 -0700
- To: Nir Dagan <nir@nirdagan.com>
- Cc: kynn@idyllmtn.com, w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
At 03:27 PM 6/14/1999 , Nir Dagan wrote: >Your article makes the point that writing simple English and using images >will make one's site more international. I disagree. You disagree that it doesn't at least _help_? (BTW, "simple English" is your term -- I made a point to make sure _not_ to assume that pages would be written in English.) I think that proper use of images to convey meaning and use of plain language can help a page be more easily under- stood by a broader audience including people who speak a different language than that of the page. Is that saying that it's all that's necessary for "internationalization"? No. But it will help some, and it's certainly an easier sell than convincing web designers they need to create multiple, i18n'ed sites in various languages specialized for specific countries in order to feel they are communicating effectively. You suggest that "A localized version of a commercial site must be developed by (or at least with) people of the locality." And that's a good goal, but it's a lot of work and a lot of expense. As many commercial sites may not choose to do this, I think it's good to tell them OTHER things that they MIGHT want to do. Do you really think there's no benefit in images and plain language to international users? -- Kynn Bartlett mailto:kynn@hwg.org President, HTML Writers Guild http://www.hwg.org/ AWARE Center Director http://aware.hwg.org/
Received on Monday, 14 June 1999 18:59:35 UTC