User-Oriented Multicultural Communication in Multimedia

1. Matching language andcultural requirementsSpecialist Task Force STF 287“User-oriented handling of multicultural issues in multimedia communications”Funded by the EC/EFTA Mike Pluke, STF leader Francoise Petersen Derek Pollard Bianca Szalai STF 287Multicultural Communication

2. 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 STF 287Multicultural Communication

3. 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 STF 287Multicultural Communication

4. 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. STF 287Multicultural Communication

5. 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. STF 287Multicultural Communication

6. 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 STF 287Multicultural Communication

7. Critical situations • Some situations where language and cultural factors are not addressed may have fatal consequences • e. g Calling emergency services … STF 287Multicultural Communication

8. Emergency situation STF 287Multicultural Communication

9. Emergency situation STF 287Multicultural Communication

10. 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 • ….. STF 287Multicultural Communication

11. 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 … STF 287Multicultural Communication

12. 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 STF 287Multicultural Communication

13. How we are going to do it • Identifying existing standards and guidelines:including 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 STF 287Multicultural Communication

14. 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 STF 287Multicultural Communication

15. 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 at:http://portal.etsi.org/STFs/HF/STF287.asp STF 287Multicultural Communication