SC22/WG20 N649 L2/99-110 Title: Liaison between ISO/TC46/SC2 and ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG20: Statement of mutual benefits and responsibilities Date: 25 March 1999 Source: John Clews, Chair, ISO/TC46/SC2: Conversion of Written Languages Status: To be discussed: ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG20, 3-7 May 1999 (WG20 N649) To be discussed: ISO/TC46/SC2/WG8 and ISO/TC46/SC2, 19-20 May 1999. 1. Introduction Like ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG20, ISO/TC46/SC2 is also involved in standardizing some aspects of information. Again like JTC1/SC22/WG20, ISO/TC46/SC2 also uses repertoires of ISO/IEC 10646 as its starting point for the repertoires it standardizes. The scope of ISO/TC46/SC2 (Conversion of Written Languages) includes both transliteration and transcription, mainly of non-Latin scripts into Latin near-equivalents. Some of this has an orientation towards computers, for instance in the draft standards: ISO NP 15920: Use of diacritical marks for conversion purposes ISO NP 15921: Generalized conversion methods ISO CD 15924: Codes for representation of names of scripts There are also some overlaps between these and some work in ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG20, notably in some early drafts of ISO/IEC FCD 14652, where codes for representation of names of scripts were also in use, and also where ISO/IEC FCD 14652 also refers to transliteration in various clauses. 2. Benefits ISO/IEC 10646 provides the basic coding requirements for globalized and localized computing, but additional services are required. ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG20's standards provide relevant specifications on string ordering and some other internationalization requirements of of these repertoires; ISO/TC46/SC2's standards provide specifications on transliteration and other transformations for these repertoires, and also codes for scripts which can be used in such systems. There will be considerable benefit in ensuring that there is no overlap or conflict between standards in development, and in allowing standards developed by one committee to refer to standards of the other committee. There would be further benefits in gaining input from a wider range of experts on each set of standards where there was mutual interest. 3. Responsibilities The two organizations will exchange information and contributions of common interest, particularly between ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG20: Internationalization, and ISO/TC46/SC2/WG8: Transliteration and computers. Where possible, they will send representatives to each other's meetings, and where appropriate experts from each committee will also participate in developing, and/or in commenting on, draft standards which are of mutual interest. John Clews