Re: [soac-newgtldapsup-wg] African statement

[Eric Brunner-Williams <ebw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I wish to suggest that this particular point is necessary, but may not 
be sufficient:
> o Linguistic, by translating all the application documents, especially
> the Applicant Guidebook, in the six UN languages
The DAG has been, since the 2000 round, written for a particular class 
of readers, and has promoted responsive writings (applications) which 
are also written for a particular class of readers. I made the point 
to the Board at Rome in 2004 that they (as the authors of the AG) were 
forcing us (the authors of applications) to write verbose fictions. I 
don't mind if anyone observes that some of the winners of those rounds 
make an art out of verbose fiction.
Rather than placing the focus on translating text already written, I 
suggest the focus could be on writing better text, and translating that.
Even this however may not be sufficient. A significant amount of the 
mailing list and verbal communication of vital interest to applicants 
is conducted in a manner that must be very challenging to persons who 
are non-native English speakers. The volume, the pace, the absence of 
awareness and accommodation, and the choices of venues, make present 
policy development less accessible. As participation in some policy 
issue venues that may modify the DAG may also be vital to applicants, 
making it accessible as a process, rather than just the final work 
product, as a text translated from the English, could be a goal.
I made these points in public comment on outreach. I'm fortunate I 
don't have to translate the DAG into a North American Indian language, 
though French is obligitoire for Indians in Quebec. But having worked 
with the Arabic League recently, and China since 2000, the hidden cost 
of language seems to me significant.
It just occurred to me, having written "the hidden cost of ..." that 
every applicant that is outside the current ICANN bubble has a hidden 
cost of having a highly educated (in English, and American law) member 
of staff, and that could be a credit against fees, just as ICANN has 
costed in having staffing each fractional application year (originally 
$75k/yr, now $25k/yr).
Eric