Annexes to COM(1995)486-2 - Adoption of a multiannual programme to promote the linguistic diversity of the EC in the information society - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(1995)486-2 - Adoption of a multiannual programme to promote the linguistic diversity of the EC in the information society. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(1995)486  |
| date | November 21, 1996 |
ACTION LINES
1. Action line 1: Support for the creation of a framework of services for language resources and encouragement for the associations involved in such a construction
Language resources such as dictionaries, terminological databanks, grammar books, collections of texts and voice recordings are an essential raw material for linguistic research, the development of language-processing tools integrated into data processing systems, language learning and for improving translation services. Considerable amounts of money have already been invested by the Member States, the Commission and some private companies on producing language resources. However, the size and complexity of these resources vary from language to language depending, in particular, on demand for that language in the Community public or private sector, thus hindering linguistic diversity. In addition, the full utilization of the available resources is currently hampered by the fact that they are mainly monolingual, often difficult to locate and the basic specifications sometimes differ, thus limiting their wider use. The aim of this action line is to support, for all European languages, the construction of a European infrastructure of multilingual resources and to stimulate the creation of electronic language resources. Most of the enterprises operating in this sector are SMEs, which are often innovative and efficient, but whose financial means are insufficient in view of the level of investments required.
1.1. Support for and synergy with associations of public and private sector suppliers and users in the fields of electronic corpora, lexicons, speech recordings and terminologies, may contribute to the objectives of this programme, fostering Europe-wide cooperation with respect to availability and compatibility of databases and networking, standardization, quality certification and elaboration of property rights, user access rights and cost policies.
1.2. The availability of lexical databanks and textual and speech corpora, which are suited for various applications and cover all the European languages, is essential in order for a European language industry to make progress. Most of the resources currently available in Europe are partial, variable in size and complexity, monolingual and mutually incompatible, which makes their use for the production of multilingual applications impossible. The Commission will encourage the launch of concerted actions between public and private sector operators in the different Member States with the aim of developing standards and compatible vocal and lexical resources.
1.3. The work in the field of terminology covers a vast range of activities with important implications for trade, science, the cultural sector and technology and the implementation of Community decisions, directives and regulations. This work is being undertaken by a very wide range of public and private operators who often lack the means to coordinate their actions with those of their counterparts in other Member States.
In this field too, the Commission will encourage the launch of concerted actions between interested bodies in the different Member States in areas which have priority in attaining the objectives of Community policies for standards, dissemination of information and networking.
1.4. The Commission will ensure that the concerted actions receiving its support have appropriate links with international work in this field.
2. Action line 2: Encouragement for the use of language technologies, resources and standards and their incorporation into computer applications
It is the private sector's role to produce and market modern tools facilitating the development of multilingual data processing applications and information transfer between languages. Europe has solid scientific and technological base in this field which has been strengthened by Community research and development programmes, in particular the programmes relating to information and communications technologies and telematic systems of general interest. However, the European market lags behind when it comes to exploiting the advances made by research in the area of language engineering. A concentrated effort needs to be made to speed up the process of getting new language-processing technology on to the market, particularly as part of the actions for disseminating and exploiting the results of research carried out under the framework programme and the specific programmes. All the action lines proposed in the present programme seek to create an environment which is conducive to the expansion of the language industries such as language engineering and translation industries.
The aim of this action line is to spur the language industries into action by stimulating technology transfer and demand through a limited number of share-cost demonstration projects which could act as a catalyst in certain key sectors.
While taking care to avoid duplication, synergies shall be sought between the present programme and the other programmes relating to the information society, in particular the fourth framework programme concerning research, technological development and demonstration, the integrated programme for SMEs and craft industries, and with the IDA initiative and the proposed Ariane programme.
2.1. A number of industries have experimented with controlled language to facilitate drafting of technical documents and user-support information. This approach improves general document management and allows effective use of machine-translation. A limited number of shared-cost projects will demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of integrating controlled language, authoring and translation tools, in operational document management systems for different industrial and business environments.
2.2. Localization of multimedia software, including translation of the spoken and written word, is becoming increasingly in demand in the information society. To stimulate professionalism and to improve competitiveness of the localization and multimedia industries, a call will be issued to launch a small number of shared-cost projects, demonstrating the integration of localization methodology and tools, training of localization staff and developing best practice guidelines of particular importance for SMEs.
2.3. The Commission will promote the use of networks by the translation and interpretation industries. These give access to advanced tools, including electronic dictionaries, improve logistics, allow integration with other functions, and generally improve the functioning of the translation market. A call for proposals will ask for the definition and implementation of European translation directory services, the definition of an open translation environment in Europe and for European tele-translation and tele-interpretation demonstrators with the involvement of the translation industry and profession.
In consultation with the performers concerned, including translation schools, the Commission shall examine the measures to be taken to speed up its networking to increase its efficiency and bring it closer to potential users.
2.4. The information and technologies in the field of terminology and translation available in The Community institutions and bodies will be made accessible as far as possible to all interested parties. Access to relevant data will be simplified so that cost-efficient use will be within the reach even of SMEs.
3. Action line 3: Promotion of the use of advanced language tools in the Community and Member States public sector
In many Community programmes, the catalytic role of the public sector for the quicker, widespread adoption of common standards has been recognized. With the further development of the internal market and the removal of internal frontiers, there will be an increase in the transfer of information between administrations in the different Member States. These will be faced with an increasing number of situations where they will need advanced language tools in order to make communication with their counterparts in other Member States easier and cheaper. Exchanging the experience acquired in the processing of multilingualism by the Member States and the Community institutions and sharing the language resources which each produces can help achieve economies of scale and reduce the cost of multilingual communication.
3.1. The goal is to promote cooperation between administrations in the Member States and the Community institutions in order to reduce the cost of multilingual communication in the European public sector in particular by centralizing advanced language tools. This will favour the establishment of an infrastructure enabling each party to use the different linguistic tools available in the Community institutions and the different administrations without any loss of their current functions, whilst encouraging convergence in future developments.
3.2. Work will continue on share-cost cooperation projects conducted with certain Member States in order to improve terminological tools and existing computer-assisted translation systems, and will be extended to include other interested Member States, in particular those using less widely spoken languages.
3.3. A special effort will be made to bring the language tools for the new official Community languages up to the level of the others.
4. Accompanying measures
Achieving the multilingual information society calls for the devising of converging strategies on the part of the public authorities, associations and institutions working to develop language resources and tools, the experimental users and the market operators producing and disseminating the information services or providing language-processing tools, services and systems. To help in this, the Commission will carry out the following accompanying measures:
- promoting technical standards which meet the linguistic needs of users,
- organizing concertation and coordination between the principal operators involved in developing a multilingual information society,
- assessing progress made towards the multilingual information society, and identifying remaining barriers,
- launching promotional activities and user awareness campaigns and supporting the exchange of best practice,
- exploring the possibilities for fruitful collaboration with third countries and multilingual international organizations.
ANNEX II
INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF EXPENDITURE
1. Support for the creation of a framework of services for language resources and encouragement for the associations involved in such construction (29 to 38 %).
2. Encouragement for the use of language technologies, resources and standards and their incorporation into computer applications (29 to 38 %).
3. Promotion of the use of advanced language tools in the Community and Member States public sector (29 to 38 %).
4. Accompanying measures (4 to 9 %).
TOTAL: 100 %
ANNEX III
PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAMME
1. The Commission shall implement the programme in accordance with the technical specifications set out in Annex I.
2. Where appropriate, the action lines in the programme shall be carried out by means of shared-cost projects, except in the case of developments for the Community institutions, in which case the rate may initially be up to 100 %. The Community's financial contribution shall not exceed the minimum considered necessary for a project and shall be granted in principle only if the project meets financial obstacles which cannot otherwise be overcome. In addition, the Community's financial contribution shall not normally exceed 50 % of the cost of the projects except in duly justified exception cases taking into account in particular participation by SMEs and less-favoured regions, this proportion decreasing the closer the project is to being marketed. Universities, other institutes and non-profit making research centres which do not have cost-accounting systems shall be reimbursed at 100 % of their additional costs.
3. The selection of shared-cost projects is, in principle, based on the normal procedure for calls for proposals published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. The objectives shall be set out in work plans compiled in close cooperation with the market operators and the Committee referred to in Article 4 of the Decision.
4. In exceptional cases, having received the opinion of the Committee referred to in Article 4, the Commission may consider proposals for projects which have not been requested but which might involve particularly promising and important developments for achieving the objectives of the programme and which could not be submitted under the normal procedure for calls for proposals.
5. Applications for Community support should provide, where appropriate, a financial plan listing all the components of the funding of the projects, including the financial support requested from the Community, and any other requests for or grants of support from other sources.
6. Support for attempts to construct an infrastructure for linguistic resources and/or the promotion of the use of advanced linguistic tools in the Community and Member State public sector could take the form of concerted actions to coordinate the development of multilingual linguistic resources, particularly through 'concertation networks`. The Community's financial contribution could cover up to 100 % of the coordinating costs.
7. Projects financed entirely from the Community budget under study and service contracts shall be implemented through a call for tenders by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Regulation (1) and the regulation laying down provisions for the implementation of the Financial Regulation. Transparency will be ensured by the publication and regular dissemination of the work programme to professional associations and other interested bodies concerned.
8. To implement the programme, the Commission shall also carry out activities drawn up in accordance with the general objectives of the programme and the specific aims of each action line. Such activities shall include workshops, seminars, conferences, studies, publications, awareness campaigns, training courses, participation in cooperative projects with the administrations in the Member States, the Community institutions and international organizations, helping national language observatories recognised by the public authorities and specific support for the development of language tools and resources for those Community languages most in need of such assistance. All activities receiving financial support must, at appropriate occasions, show acknowledgement of Community funding.
(1) OJ No L 356, 31. 12. 1977, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom, ECSC) No 2335/95 (OJ No L 240, 7. 10. 1995, p. 12).