From: [email-masked]
Date: 26 May 94 14:02:00 -0500

[email-masked]
Subject: Concurrent multilingual messages: think 3-D!
----------
In ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG20, and in Canada, we had an interesting discussion on
concurrent (versus sequential, a special case of monolinguism) multilingual
information processing applications.

However we did not think about one element, and now reality goes beyond
theoretical aspects:

this morning, with my pay cheque, I had the surprise and pleasure to be given a
nice bookmark, written in French on one side and in English on the other side (I
keep the punch for the end):

"
             L'ACCESSIBILIT<E'>, UNE FORCE AU TRAVAIL!
 LA SEMAINE NATIONALE POUR L'INT<E'>GRATION DES PERSONNES HANDICAP<E'>ES
                     DU 30 MAI AU 5 JUIN 1994
"

and on the other side:

"
                  FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
                        ACCESS IS WORKING
                 NATIONAL ACCESS AWARENESS WEEK
                     MAY 30 TO JUNE 5, 1994
"

Now, apart from the fact that it does't say the same thing at all (I guess it is
adapted to both linguistic groups' psychology, I'm not a publicity expert!),
the interesting thing (the punch) is that it is also in braille on both sides
(with the bumps punched, of course, perpendicular to the bookmark plane, but in
opposite directions one side relative to the other!!!)

Will that be possible to have printing (punching) devices with two sets of
needles, one punching up, one punching down, for such kinds of applications?
Or, like on 2-side copiers, a mechanism putting the card upside-down before the
second phase punching?

Interesting to note in our i18n standardization work.

Alain LaBont<e'>
Secr<e'>tariat du Conseil du tr<e'>sor
Gouvernement du Qu<e'>bec