ISTF Cultural and Language Diversity Working Group (CLDWG)

Working Group "Cultures and Languages of the Internet"

Message from Richard Delmas, 23.02.2000 :

Reflecting on the original mandate for the Committee of the ISOC-Wallonie Chapter on the same topic, it was thought that the initial mandate could have been adequate for the ISTF Working Group. But many of you have expressed interests about new themes, like partnerships for Internet or, more specifically, automatic tools for language translation, including universal networking language (UNL). This leads to several tracks which were not at first considered and for which new competences are needed.

The initial mandate is located in english at: http://www.wallonie-isoc.org/Atelier_Langues-Cultures/Cultures_Languages_Internet.htm et en français à : http://www.wallonie-isoc.org/Atelier_Langues-Cultures/Info_Presse_Cultures-2000-02.htm

This mandate is the "pivot" for the work. It is coordinated with other initiatives in the field, undertaken by associations of the "ICT Partnership, institutes" and academia world-wide. Inputs will come from the research seminar "Internet, Media and Musicology" which I conduct at Paris-IV Sorbonne.

The first Round Table was organised by ISOC-France in Autrans, France, on 7 January 2000 with presentations from Christian Boitet, Philippe Le Hérissé, Edouard Legrain, Olivier Malbert, Kim Veltman. The matter was also addressed by Prof. Kim Veltman during the recent European coordination meeting for ICANN in Brussels on 17 February 2000 (EC-Panel of Participants).

Please note that the second event on "Cultures and languages" will be held in Namur on Saturday 17 June 2000, see : http://www.wallonie-isoc.org/Isoc_Wallonie_Workshop.htm

Now, I submit to the ISTF list a light and new edition of the mandate, introducing some aspects related to tools and apparels. But I am convinced that ISTF is different from IETF and will address Internet issues with new concepts, new percepts and new partnerships worldwide.

For mid-May, a summary of the debate and a programme of work will be produced and posted for a period of three weeks comments. At the Workshop in Namur 17 June it will discussed "live" with top level specialists. It will then be presented to ISTF SC for final decision (1 or 2 or more WGs...)and a presentation will be made at INET/ICANN in Yokohama mid-July.

Further inputs will only be provided through the ISTF list which is accessible at www.isoc.org or http://lyris.isoc.org/cgi-bin/lyris/lyris.pl and also on the ISOC Wallonie list, inscription at http://www.wallonie-isoc.org/Liste-Atelier_Inscription.htm

Many thanks to all

Richard Delmas
CE-DG Information Society

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ISTF - Working Group "Cultures and Languages of the Internet"

 

Mission Statement

The Working Group will seek to enhance a culture of what Goethe called "Wahlverwandtschaft" (in French, les affinités électives), i.e. the "positive correlation or relationships" between the various communities of the Internet. It is becoming more and more evident that the Internet's future has to overcome the effects of a "self-fulfilling prophecy" too exclusively based on the technical model. A new panoramic and distant attention would be cast upon the multiple opportunities the Internet brings in all domains: work, commerce, leisure time, family or social activities, privacy and thought.
To achieve this, the accent will have to be stressed on identities' density – and not on their dilution –, on people's identities – individuals and groups, on the languages, words and names used in electronic transmission. In short, the Working Group considers appropriate to contemplate the Internet's reality worlds, as seen by any web user in his everyday life. A particular attention will be devoted to the needs of specific populations, youth, elderly, poor and migrants, existing minorities for geographical, cultural, social or economical reasons.

Goals & Scope

The Working Group will produce a report including recommendations. It will be an attempt of shared analysis, assessment and willingness. The main goal is to point out, to the attention of all the Internet actors and policy-makers, the benefit that an increased presence of diverse cultures and languages diversity could bring to the digital networks. It will present new forms of partnerships inspired by Internet.

The report will draw a framework of concepts and arguments for a typology of communities, cultures and languages of the Internet, including a comprehensive bibliography. The Working Group intends to study the following points:

1. Culture and language

Considering that language is more than a communication tool, is it sufficient to promote plurilinguism to escape the cultural dominant model? What could be done to facilitate the polycentrism, languages and cultures plurality on the Internet, access to meta data world-wide? How to develop tools (translation, classification, research) which could apply to specific usage? What is the future of the current dominant paradigm of the Internet, oriented from center to periphery, with, so far, English language's omnipresence?

2. The Internet as revealer of day-to-day life and of "live together"

The sense given to information is weak, whereas symbols and icons' production increases constantly. How could the Internet more deeply express the inner man's mind density and social practices' complexity? What impact has the Internet on the perception of the border existing between public and private life? How to ensure that the Internet does not reinforce stereotypes and ethnotypes? How to be sure that individuals are not manipulated by lobbyists or pressure groups? Could the Internet political sphere be reduced to a virtual, boundless and universal democracy?

3. Internet, culture and societal space

What are the cultural activities which fit the most to the digitalisation of content and expression – music, fine arts, literature, etc. –? To what extend do the global procedures and standards of the Internet are a benefit or an impediment to its development? Isn't it time to privilege memory, time duration as well as the intermediaries' role in the appropriation of the Internet? What could be done to give special resources to local specificity related to services and contents providers? What could be done to help users to be heard for a sound governance of Internet?

 

- Authorization of working group 'Cultural and Language Diversity of the Internet"

http://www.wallonie-isoc.org

- Origine de la réflexion
- Cultures et langues de l'Internet : Session Autrans'2000 de l'Isoc-France

Page mise à jour le jeudi 23 mars 2000