Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ames.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!hplabs!ames!eugene From: eugene@ames.UUCP (Eugene Miya) Newsgroups: net.internat Subject: Re: The real work of internationalization (warning really) Message-ID: <1219@ames.UUCP> Date: Tue, 22-Oct-85 18:16:01 EST Article-I.D.: ames.1219 Posted: Tue Oct 22 18:16:01 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 27-Oct-85 10:34:34 EST References:<149@ecrcvax.UUCP> <518@talcott.UUCP> <191@l5.uucp> <527@talcott.UUCP> <1558@uwmacc.UUCP> <603@spar.UUCP> Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA Lines: 45 > > >Now they have a good percentage of OUR (the U.S.) market. Look at the stereo > >market, the TV, VCR, CAMERA, ETC.... There are more JAPANESE and CHINESE > >then all those who natively speak English. This attitude will continue the > >ORIENTAL invasion of our markets. > Permit me to make a comment about this statement. This does not deal with internationalization directly, but it does deal with discussing this topic. Fortunately, our site had a copy of the parent article, because the above can easily be misconstrued. I am talking about the use of loaded words like "ORIENTAL invasion." I realize the speaker has quite a respect, but his words can easily be taken out of context as his entire text was not quoted. Recently, I was returning from a meeting in Montreal and behind me sat two members from a major military weapons facility (to go unnamed) who attended the same meeting. They were discussing the supercomputer race with a non-meeting passenger on the plane talking about how if the US did not keep up with the Japanese, that US industry/defense, everything would be at the mercy (too kind a word for genitals) of the Japanese. At which point, I turned around to join an what I thought would be interesting discussion. The speaker promptly shut up. If you are going to discuss invasions, let us not forget that WWII hysteria drove my relatives into detention centers and created witch hunts in the 1950s. Do we begin by turning the US into a totalitarian state because of economic hardship? Perhaps, I should quit working for the US government because I might be suspected of being an economic spy. Perhaps, you want all those descended from the Far East to jump off cliffs to remove all doubt? I rarely like to think about "the color of my skin," but recent protectionist attitudes has my guard up. I don't regard my comments as a flame, but rather a defense of civil liberties. To repeat, I don't regard the above as a personal attack, but everyone discussing internationalisation had best put a good foot forward (or I should say hand) as this group is read around the world. --eugene miya NASA Ames Research Center {hplabs,ihnp4,dual,hao,decwrl,allegra}!ames!aurora!eugene emiya@ames-vmsb