STF 287 Multicultural Communication

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Matching language andcultural requirementsSpecia
list Task Force STF 287User-oriented handling
of multicultural issues in multimedia
communicationsFunded by the EC/EFTA

• Mike Pluke, STF leader
• Francoise Petersen
• Derek Pollard
• Bianca Szalai

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ETSI

• Develops
• Wide range of standards
• Other technical documentation
• Contributes to world-wide standards in
• Telecommunications
• Broadcasting
• Information Technology
• Independent but works in close co-operation with
• EU
• ITU
• CEN/CENELEC
• Other world-wide bodies

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eInclusion

• A key eEurope 2005 objective
• to give everyone the opportunity to participate
  in the global information society
• Our work
• Seeks to remove or reduce cultural/language
  barriers
• Is therefore fully in support of this objective

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Issues

• Information and communication services should
  support cultural and language preferences of
• a) someone
• communicating with other people or accessing
  services in other countries
• visiting or residing in a country where the
  language is not their native language
• who only speaks a minority language of a country
• who only has a limited vocabulary in their own
  language
• who lip-reads, uses sign language, or the Bliss
  symbols system.
• b) public and private sector organisations
  dealing with customers or organisations in other
  countries.

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The one simple requirement

• In all of these different scenarios, the
  requirement is simple
• Everyone wants to be able to communicate or
  access information in ways that are compatible
  with their language and cultural preferences.

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Counterproductive cultural adaptation

• Organisations often think that they have solved
  the language and cultural issues with simple
  techniques
• These may work for a majority of users
• But for a significant minority they may cause big
  problems for the user e.g.
• Guessing language from an IP address
• Basing text prediction dictionaries on the user
  interface language chosen by the mobile phone user

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Critical situations

• Some situations where language and cultural
  factors are not addressed may have fatal
  consequences
• e. g Calling emergency services

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Emergency situation
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Emergency situation
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Other scenarios

• Visiting a tourist attraction
• Network announcements
• Communication between a deaf sign language user
  and a call centre
• Text messaging from a mobile telephone
• Technical business communication
• ..

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We propose to give guidance on

• Defining levels of language skill and how people
  might assess their own capabilities
• Storing information about cultural preferences
  and language skills
• How a service provider can access this
  information to deliver an appropriate version of
  a service to a user
• and

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and guidance on

• Delivery of content and the handling of user
  input taking account of a range of cultures and
  languages
• Optimising the match of service options to user
  preferences
• The use of existing standards and guidelines -
  identifying where new ones need to be developed
• The incorporation of country-specific legal
  requirements into business ICT provision

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How we are going to do it

• Identifying existing standards and
  guidelinesincluding ETSI work on User Profile
  Management and a Universal Communications
  Identifier (UCI)
• Extensive consultation with a wide range of
  stakeholders, e.g.
• Globalisation, internationalisation, localisation
  and translation companies
• Information service providers
• Other standards bodies e.g. CEN and ISO
• Research projects
• etc.
• Write guidelines
• Identify further work that needs to be done

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Project Overview

• Work commenced April 2005
• Table of contents and scope June 2005
• Main consultations June December 2005
• Draft for approval by ETSI HF May 2006
• Document publication September 2006
• Final reporting and closure December 2006

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Summary

• The ultimate aim is .
• Removing or reducing cultural/language barriers
  to give everyone the opportunity to participate
  in the global information society
• Follow the story athttp//portal.etsi.org/STFs/H
  F/STF287.asp