Comment regarding ALAC operating language

[Alan Greenberg <alan.greenberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

I am submitting this comment on behalf of myself 
(ALAC member for North America appointed by the 
NomCom ALAC), Sébastien Bachollet (ALAC member 
for Europe elected by the EURALO) and Vanda 
Scartezini (ALAC member for Latin America / 
Caribbean appointed by the NomCom ALAC).
We strongly support the report's recommendations 
for enhanced translation and interpretation. Such 
services are essential for all non-English 
speaking people to both understand ICANN and 
ICANN issues, and to participate in ICANN 
processes. Reducing the "English barrier" is 
crucial to ICANN's success and ICANN's credibility throughout the world.
However, for members of the At-Large Advisory 
Committee (ALAC), this is not sufficient. ALAC is 
an integral part of the ICANN community and to be 
effective, it must be able to access the wealth 
of documents that are produced, and participate 
in joint activities with the Supporting 
Organizations, other Advisory Committees and the 
Board. Virtually all of these use English as 
their sole working language, with occasional 
document translation after-the-fact.
If an ALAC member is not comfortable in spoken 
English and in reading and writing ICANN English 
documents and e-mail, they cannot function fully 
as an ALAC member. That to varying degrees 
disenfranchises those who put them on the ALAC 
(their RALO or the community in general through 
the NomCom). Moreover, it means that they cannot 
take their share of responsibilities, increasing 
the load on the remaining ALAC members.
We urge the ALAC Review Working Group to take a 
stand on this, and to recommend that ALAC members 
be functionally comfortable and capable in spoken 
and written English until such time that the rest 
of ICANN can function, both effectively and in a 
timely manner, in other languages in all of its activities.