Internationalization Working Group Teleconference - 06 November 2025

https://www.w3.org/2025/11/06-i18n-minutes.html

Here is the meeting summary:

Quick recap

The WG reviewed preparations for upcoming TPAC meetings, including agenda items and potential discussions with various working groups, while also addressing ongoing technical issues and project updates. New participant Jocelyn Shen introduced herself and shared her work on translation and localization management, while the team discussed the need for more scribes and reviewed web sustainability guidelines. The group explored accessibility challenges across different languages and scripts, particularly focusing on the need for more inclusive guidelines that address non-Western language needs, and concluded with plans for further discussions at TPAC.

Next steps

xfq: Work on TPAC agenda together with others
ri: Help Joci set up IRC, possibly with Fuqiao's assistance in Chinese
Joel: Review SHACL 1.2 Core spec by mid-December before going to CR in mid-January
Joel: Review SHACL's self-review and make any comments
Addison: Send email about APA/accessibility crossover to xfq
Addison: Send detailed information and emails to Fuqiao and copy the group
Addison: Write to Shawn and others at WCAG/APA to request meeting time at TPAC to discuss accessibility framework for multiple languages
Joel: Write email to WCAG endorsing a requirement to use existing mechanisms to keep Ruby with its base text in PDF
Addison: Send list of times available to participate during TPAC to xfq and Richard
Summary

TPAC Meeting Preparation Updates

The meeting focused on preparations for the upcoming TPAC meetings, with Addison leading the agenda review. Key updates included Addison's completion of a comment on issue 2039 regarding a web extensions API proposal, ongoing efforts to automate repos with Shane Carr, and discussions about the SHACL 1.2 Core review, which last reviewed SHACL 1.1 in 2017. Jocelyn Shen, a new participant from China, introduced herself as a graduate student working on translation and localization management and mentioned creating educational videos for the group's YouTube channel. The team also discussed the need for more scribes and the importance of checking scribe rotations.

RDF, Guidelines, and TPAC Planning

Addison and Joel discussed RDF and data shapes, with Joel volunteering to work on a project due mid-December. They reviewed web sustainability guidelines, with Fuqiao finding no major issues and Addison raising a concern about internationalization and localizability. The team then prepared for TPAC, reviewing agenda items and potential meetings with various groups including Web Authentication, APA, ITN, CSS, and Pointer Events. Addison asked Fuqiao to work on what to do with the glossary for the upcoming meeting.

TAG Meeting and Topic Planning

The group discussed several topics, including the handling of emails to Fu Chow and whether to copy the group. They also considered inviting TAG to TPAC and discussed potential topics to cover with them, such as DOM localization and glossary normativity. Addison mentioned that TAG had been invited to previous meetings, but the group should think about what specific topics to discuss with them this time. Finally, they agreed to allow Pointer Events 3 to be moved to Pointer Events 4, pending any objections.

WCAG Accessibility Framework Development

The team discussed accessibility guidelines, noting that current standards are Western-centric and don't fully address Japanese-specific needs. They acknowledged that while WCAG has started to address multilingual considerations by exempting six polar languages, this approach isn't ideal as the example languages may not represent all complexities. The team identified an opportunity to help develop a framework for collecting and managing WCAG text presentation requirements, though this was noted as a lower priority compared to other accessibility initiatives.

Accessibility Framework Language Discussion

The group discussed developing a framework for accessibility guidelines across different languages and scripts, with Addison proposing to write to Jan and others to arrange a meeting at TPAC to discuss this further. They also addressed a specific issue regarding PDF accessibility raised by Murata Makoto, which Joel agreed to respond to. The conversation ended with a reminder that the next call would be canceled due to the upcoming TPAC event in Japan, and participants were advised to check their availability for remote participation in the Japanese sessions.