From: Michael \(michka\) Kaplan (michka@trigeminal.com)
Date: Wed May 21 2003 - 06:50:54 EDT
From: "Michael Everson" <everson@evertype.com>
> At 15:58 -0700 2003-05-20, Rick Cameron wrote:
> >Why should we avoid calling the language 'Farsi'?
>
> Because that's what the Iranians prefer to call it? Because that's
> its traditional name in English? I have a shelf full of Persian
> dictionaries.
In practice, neither Apple nor Microsoft (nor any other member of the
Consortium) is allowed to sell software in Iran at present. Because of this,
the naming the language in other languages must also take into account its
primary market -- speakers of and interested parties in the language who are
outside of Iran.
Now I am not saying that these users in the diaspora would not (a) come up
with the same answer on their own, or (b) choose to go along with the
preferences of those in Iran (I honestly do not know if either A or B is the
case). I just know that the issue is larger than just the source country,
especially when the primary customers are not in the source country.
Its a bit like when language policy is made in country for French, German,
or Tamil -- it does not mean that everyone else definitely picks up the
change, and can just as easily result in two or more sets of data....
MichKa
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