Viva Valencia!

by Michael S. Kaplan, published on 2011/02/08 07:01 -05:00, original URI: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2011/02/08/10125363.aspx

THE WORLD TOUR OF WINDOWS 7 CAPTIONS LANGUAGE INTERFACE PACKS STARTS WITH THIS RELEASE BEING ANNOUNCED!

Now this is also where it ends, as Valencian is the only Windows 7 CLIP being released.

The Microsoft Captions Language Interface Pack (CLIP) is a simple language translation solution that uses tooltip captions to display results. Use CLIP as a language aid, to see translations in your own language, update results in your own native tongue or maybe use it as a learning tool.

In a pure "count of words" sense, a CLIP has fewer localized words in it than a LIP (language interface pack).

This sort of thing cannot be done in a vacuum; the Valencian CLIP was done in collaboration with the Valencian Government, for both Microsoft Office 200 and Microsoft Windows 7. You can get it from right here.

I wasn't able to be there, so I could never do it justice. But you can check out CLIP optimiza Windows 7 y Office 2010 al valenciano for starters if you want to hear more about it. It seems like it was pretty awesome, actually!

Valencian is the traditional and official name of the Catalan language in the Valencian Community. There are dialectical differences from standard Catalan, as well as (especially in the context of technology) terminological differences. Under the Valencian Statute of Autonomy, the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua has been established as Valencian's regulator. It is frequently spoken of as a separate language, the llengua valenciana, though opposition to the use of standard Catalan occurs primarily among those who do not regularly use the language.

Valencian/Catalan, like the closely related Occitan, has a long literary tradition, especially Late Medieval and Renaissance. One of the most outstanding works of all Catalan and Valencian literature is the romance Tirant lo Blanch, written by the Valencian knight and poet Joanot Martorell.

In the standards world, ISO-639-1 does not recognize it (suggesting ca which is the code for Catalan). ISO-639-2 doesn't recognize it either (suggesting cat which is again the code for Catalan). Aand ISO-639-3 recommends catfor either Catalan or Valencian. However, if you look at BCP-47 it allows for IANA-registered variant subtag of valencia, which means one could use ca-valencia or ca-ES-valencia to distinguish it from Catalan's ca or ca-ES if one needed to while being conformant to the standard.

If this seems complicated, then you probably haven't had to study the official status of languages within Spain or the EU, believe me. Or spent much time looking into the various Valencian language controversies....

THE WORLD TOUR OF WINDOWS 7 CAPTIONS LANGUAGE INTERFACE PACKS ENDS WITH THIS RELEASE BEING ANNOUNCED!

> In the standards world, ISO-639-1 does not recognize it (suggesting ca which is the code for Catalan). ISO-639-2 doesn't recognize it either (suggesting cat which is again the code for Catalan). Aand ISO-639-3 recommends catfor either Catalan or Valencian.

This isn't quite right. 'ca' and 'cat' are the code elements for "Catalan; Valencian". Both names are specified in the ISO standards, which have taken the position that this is one language with multiple dialects. The fact that the letters C and A and T appear in the code elements does not mean the code elements exclude the Valencian dialect.

BCP 47 added the 'valencia' variant subtag to pinpoint the Valencian dialect, which is appropriate since no part of ISO 639 is intended to differentiate between dialects.

Did they actively exclude the Valencian dialect, or deny its existence, or did they just not include the name "Valencian" in the standard?

It initially did not come up, then when it was requested it was considered a part of ca. Within Valencia they consider it a langauge, but even within Spain no one goes that far (let alone the various ISO 639 authorities over the years)....

If Microsoft is really interested in Valencian, you must say "Visca València" (in Valencian Catalan) and not "Viva Valencia" (in Castilian Spanish). You can use Apertium translator (www.softcatala.org/traductor) if you are not fluent in Valencian.

I'm not sure the titles on my personal blog can count as determination of what Microsoft is being serious about/interested in (if so, then they are in big trouble!). I was trying to be a little ironic....