Internationalization Working Group Teleconference - 23 October 2025

https://www.w3.org/2025/10/23-i18n-minutes.html

Here is the meeting summary:

Quick recap

The meeting began with introductions of a new member and discussion of agenda items including DOM localization and breakout sessions for TPAC. The team reviewed pending action items and discussed a multi-page sustainability guidelines document that requires review, with Addison suggesting multiple reviewers take sections of the document. The conversation ended with discussions about DOM localization proposals, TPAC planning, and scheduling challenges, including time zone considerations for upcoming meetings.

Next steps

Addison to follow up with Google folks about sending a representative to join the working group.
Addison to request more time for reviewing the Web Sustainability Guidelines.
xfq to lead the review of the Web Sustainability Guidelines as parent shepherd.
andy to focus on reviewing the user experience design portion of the Web Sustainability Guidelines.
Bert to finish reviewing Color Adjust, hopefully by tomorrow.
Addison to create wiki pages for managing TPAC meetings.
xfq to be the on-site leader at TPAC.
Eemeli to prepare visuals about DOM localization for TPAC and share with the group.
John to respond to Eemeli's email about DOM localization.
Summary

New Member Introduction and Updates

The meeting began with introductions, where Andy, a new member from Germany, joined the group as an invited expert. Addison confirmed Andy's membership and discussed agenda items, including DOM localization from Amelie and breakout sessions from Eemeli for TPAC. Addison reviewed pending action items, noting progress on some tasks but highlighting ongoing challenges in coordinating with certain representatives.

DOM Localization and English Proposals

Eemeli discussed adding breakout sessions on DOM localization and an HTML amount element, as well as a proposal for U.S. English with standard measures as a new locale. Addison suggested sharing links to the breakout sessions in the IRC channel and mentioned discussing the English locale with CLDR. Eemeli explained their strategy for presenting the proposal to CLDR, aiming to show industry interest in a generic solution rather than a specialized one. The conversation ended with a reminder about a new horizontal review request for Web Sustainability Guidelines.

Sustainability Guidelines Review Discussion

The team discussed a multi-page sustainability guidelines document that needs review. Addison will request more time for review due to the document's length and upcoming TPAC meeting, and suggested having multiple reviewers take sections of the document. Andy suggested making the document easier to read for an international audience, which Addison acknowledged as a valid point. Bert reported being halfway through reviewing the Color Adjust document, which needs to be completed next week. The team has no new pending issues to discuss.

Internationalization Review Process Discussion

The meeting focused on the review process for sustainability guidelines, where Addison clarified that the Internationalization Interest Group (I18N) conducts horizontal reviews of W3C specifications for internationalization issues, excluding accessibility concerns. Andy inquired about the distinction between internationalization and serving global audiences, to which Addison explained that while internationalization involves making websites localizable, serving global audiences is also a concern but not the primary focus of the I18N group. The discussion highlighted the overlap between accessibility and internationalization needs, with Andy noting the importance of simple language for non-native speakers.

DOM Localization Discussion at TPAC

Eemeli proposed a TPAC breakout session on DOM localization and sought input on whether this was the appropriate forum for incubation work. Addison suggested discussing it further and noted that the group might need to recharter if they were to work on a specification. Richard mentioned that similar work had been taken up by other specs and suggested that the group could provide expertise to support Eemeli's proposal.

DOM Localization Proposal Discussion

Eemeli presented his proposal for DOM localization, which aims to make HTML text content more easily localizable by defining a separate file format for messages, similar to how CSS introduced stylesheets. He explained that this would allow for better localization of UI and UX content, building on Mozilla's experience with Fluent. The proposal includes defining a link to a localization file in the HTML head element and using attributes to reference messages. Eemeli acknowledged that there are open questions about resource loading and fallback mechanisms. Richard raised concerns about content negotiation and transclusion, while Andy suggested creating visual examples to better illustrate the proposal. The group discussed the potential scope of the proposal, with Eemeli focusing on UI and UX content initially. Addison mentioned that he would start creating wiki pages for TPAC planning, with Fu Chao likely to lead the on-site coordination.

Meeting Scheduling and Time Zone Coordination

The team discussed scheduling an all-day session and addressed time zone challenges, particularly for participants in Asia. Addison requested that anyone with agenda items for the face-to-face meeting send them to the public list. The group also touched on upcoming daylight savings time changes in Europe and the United States, noting that the time difference between UTC and British time would shift. Eemeli inquired about an email he had sent to John, who confirmed receiving it but was busy with other matters. Addison reminded Andy to review the welcome letter and provided support for navigating the onboarding process.

Received on Friday, 24 October 2025 00:52:35 UTC