Dear Councillors, Please find below the Call for Volunteers for the GNSO Policy Translation and Transliteration PDP Working Group Thank you very much. Kind regards, Nathalie Call for Volunteers GNSO Policy Translation and Transliteration PDP Working Group In Brief The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council is seeking volunteers to serve on the PDP Working Group (WG) on Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information. This WG is expected to make recommendations to the GNSO Council on whether it is desirable to translate or transliterate contact information. In this context, translation is the process of conveying the meaning of text from on language into another; transliteration is the process of representing the characters of one alphabetical or syllabic system of writing by the characters of another, conversion alphabet. Introductory Webinar To provide potential volunteers with an idea of the PDP Process including Working Group procedures and also some background information on the WG's substantive issues, an Introductory Webinar will be held at the following times: Tuesday 10 December 2013, 12.00-13.00UTC - local times: http://tinyurl.com/m2suev5 Wednesday 11 December 2013, 18.00-19.00UTC - local times http://tinyurl.com/kyk5lej To join the webinar please RVSP to gnso-secs@icann.org<mailto:gnso-secs@icann.org> First meeting If you are interested in joining the Working Group, please contact gnso-secs@icann.org<mailto:gnso-secs@icann.org>. The first meeting of the Working Group is currently foreseen to take place in the week of 16 December - a doodle poll will be send out the week prior to determine a convenient meeting time. Background * Following the Recommendations of the Final Report<http://gnso.icann.org/en/issues/ird/final-report-ird-wg-07may12-en.pdf> of the Internationalized Registration Data Working Group, a Final Issue Report<http://gnso.icann.org/en/issues/gtlds/transliteration-contact-final-21mar13-...> on Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information was submitted to the GNSO Council on 21 March 2013 * GNSO Council's initiated<https://community.icann.org/display/gnsocouncilmeetings/Motions+13+June+2013> a Policy Development Process (PDP) on the translation and transliteration of contact information on 13 June 2013; Drafting Team was formed and Charter<http://gnso.icann.org/en/drafts/transliteration-contact-charter-06nov13-en.p...> submitted to GNSO Council and approved<http://gnso.icann.org/en/group-activities/calendar#nov> on 20 November 2013. * As part of its deliberations on this issue, Charter stipulates several questions for the PDP WG to consider, including (but not limited to): - Whether it is desirable to translate contact information to a single common language or transliterate contact information to a single common script. - Who should decide who should bear the burden translating contact information to a single common language or transliterating contact information to a single common script. * For more detailed, consult the WG's Charter<http://gnso.icann.org/en/drafts/transliteration-contact-charter-06nov13-en.p...> and the GNSO Policy Development Process<http://gnso.icann.org/en/node/31379/> * Note GNSO Council also requested ICANN to commission a study on the commercial feasibility of translation or transliteration systems for internationalized contact data, which is expected to be completed in time to help inform the PDP Working Group in its deliberations. Relevant Documents * Charter Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information PDP Working Group (WG) Charter - http://gnso.icann.org/en/drafts/transliteration-contact-charter-06nov13-en.p... * Final Issue Report on Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information (http://gnso.icann.org/en/issues/gtlds/transliteration-contact-final-21mar13-...). * Final Report of the Internationalized Registration Data Working Group (http://gnso.icann.org/en/issues/ird/final-report-ird-wg-07may12-en.pdf) * GNSO Working Group Guidelines, including charter guidelines (http://gnso.icann.org/council/annex-1-gnso-wg-guidelines-08apr11-en.pdf)