Re: Localizable sentences (from Re: On the possibility of encoding webdings in Unicode)

From: Ed (ed.trager@gmail.com)
Date: Fri Jan 28 2011 - 09:20:57 CST

  • Next message: Mark E. Shoulson: "Re: On the possibility of encoding some localizable sentences in plane 7 (from Re: On the possibility of encoding webdings in Unicode)"

    Alternatively the English speaker could take a one-month class in
    Italian, or purchase a set of Pimsleur CDs to listen to while driving
    to work, or purchased Rosetta Stone language-learning software, or
    hire an attractive Italian for private tutorials ...

    Hmmm ... personally I think that last idea makes the most sense :-)

    Google Translate is somewhat useful for certain language pairings, but
    it can also be quite awful. In any case, Google Translate is *much*
    more useful when one already has at least some knowledge of a foreign
    language and so can make an informed decision about whether the
    translation offered by Google is acceptable or just pure bunk.

    - Ed

    On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 5:35 AM, Andrew West <andrewcwest@gmail.com> wrote:
    > On 28 January 2011 10:10, William_J_G Overington
    > <wjgo_10009@btinternet.com> wrote:
    >>
    >>> I do not believe localizable sentences will ever be appropriate for standardization in a plain-text character encoding, regardless of the size of the community of users. Perhaps they would be appropriate for standardization somewhere, but not in a character encoding.
    >
    > We're all laughing now, but I never rule anything out, and who knows,
    > ten years from now Google or Apple or some large corporation could
    > have an emoji moment, and suddenly localizable sentences will be in,
    > and William will be having the last laugh.
    >
    >> If localizable sentences become encoded in Unicode plain-text character encoding then they could be used intermixed with ordinary language.
    >>
    >> Suppose please that the following localizable sentence were encoded using one codepoint of plane 7.
    >>
    >> U+7XXXX Where can I buy a meal without any gluten in it please?
    >>
    >> For example, please consider that an English-speaking person in an Italian town wants to ask "Where can I buy a meal without any gluten in it please?" then he or she could use the U+7XXXX codepoint and throw it from an iPad to an iPad of an Italian-speaking person who could reply with the name of a restaurant and its address.
    >
    > Alternatively, the English-speaking person could transmit "Where can I
    > buy a meal without any gluten in it please?" in English from their
    > device to the Italian-speaking person's device, which would
    > automatically translate the question into Italian; and then the
    > Italian-speaking person would send a reply in Italian from their
    > device to the English-speaking person's device which would
    > automatically translate the response into English.  A flexible system
    > like this might even allow users to communicate using phrases and
    > sentences beyond the fixed number of standard localizable sentences
    > envisioned by William.
    >
    > Andrew
    >
    >
    >

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