RE: Examples of translated RFCs

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At 16:55 06/12/2005, Nelson, David wrote:
JFC (Jefsey) Morfin writes...

> So , IMHO, the IETF urgency is today the other way around:
> incorporating into RFC standards, practices or tables authoritatively
> written or thought in another language than English, or in English
> using normative non-ASCII art drafts or using term in a meaning
> foreign to the IETF.

If all RFCs are written in English, basically so that there is at most
one additional language in which one must be fluent to understand and
implement the protocols described therein, wouldn't it defeat the
purpose to have normative references written in other languages?

Dear Nelson,
with all due respect, you may have noted that there are around 20.000 stable acknowldged language entities in the world (actually far more) and quite a few SSDOs. Only the IETF uses English ASCII Courier typing for its texts and Arts. This means that statistically a normative idea for the Internet has 90% chance to be eventually thought or initially written in non English ASCII Courier typing and Arts.

At the beginning 100% were in English ASCII Courier. Because the Internet was designed by English ASCII Courier people for English ASCII Courier applications. But the more we go, the more the advantage you quote becomes a barrier, as non English ASCII Courier people, applications, standards share into the Internet. This is why we have to reconsider it, to keep it as a blessing (as it does permit to have a pivot framework), but to stop it preventing innovation. It is a tool, not the architectural unilateral model and core value it has become.

This is particularly urgent in BCPs. Because Network Managers and Law makers tend to write laws, rules and procedures in the user language rather than in a language they and the users do not understand. If you want to quote as authoritative a local procedure, you are to quote it in its language (and then you may translate it beniffiting from its authority). Not doing it is balkanizing the Internet; splitting the IETF English ASCII Courier Legacy Internet from the many various local Internets the IETF would create this way in being unable to support the world's multilingual reality.

Globally, the world normative references are today 99,9 % not written in English ASCII Courier. And English is not necessarily the second language people have. By far and this will probably increase in the coming decades. I know it is hard to accept as an English speaker. But please remember that one century ago the decision taking world spoke French, the same as the technical world of today speaks English. We had to learn to live with the change: you will certainly will too ... and learn how rewarding this may be.
jfc







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