UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES TO DEMONSTRATE OPERATION OF UNIVERSAL NETWORKING LANGUAGE
Press Release
PI/1097
UNU/189
UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES TO DEMONSTRATE OPERATION OF UNIVERSAL NETWORKING LANGUAGE
19981119 The Universal Networking Language, or UNL, is an electronic language that enables people who speak different native languages to communicate with each other. Consisting of three interlinked computer software programs, each of which resides in the network of the World Wide Web, UNL will be accessible to any Internet user and be compatible with standard network servers. Text written in a range of languages may be converted into UNL ("enconverted"); and, just as easily, UNL text may be converted into native languages ("deconverted"). Unlike traditional language conversion methods, UNL avoids language analysis by utilizing the common platform provided by the Internet. The United Nations University/Institute of Advanced Studies launched the Universal Networking Language project in April 1996. The United Nations University/Institute of Advanced Studies is an international, autonomous academic organization that brings together the world's leading scholars to address the pressing global problems of today, through multi-disciplinary research, postgraduate education, and information dissemination. The mission of the UNL project is to eliminate language barriers by creating a medium of information exchange that permits communication in one's own native language.The initial phase of the project (1996 to 1998) has involved developing modules to convert 16 languages into UNL. These include the six official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish), in addition to ten other widely spoken languages (German, Hindi, Italian, Indonesian, Japanese, Latvian, Mongol, Portuguese, Swahili, and Thai). In its second phase (1999 to 2005), the project will seek to further extend UNL access. The UNL project is a collaboration between the academic community and industry. It is being carried out in cooperation with 17 research groups from universities and firms around the world. Together, they form an integrated network involving more than 120 computer linguistic specialists committed to completing the first phase of the project by the year 2000. Potential beneficiaries of UNL include citizens, scholars, business, media, government, and non-governmental organizations. The system will be demonstrated in conference room 4 on Thursday, 19 November 1998 from 3 to 6 p.m. The briefing will be followed by a question and answer period. Members of permanent missions, Secretariat staff, representatives of non-governmental organizations and the media are invited. For more information, contact: United Nations University, Office in North America United Nations, DC2-1462, NY, NY 10017; Telephone: 212.963.6387; Fax: 212.371.9454; e-mail: unuona@igc.apc.org.
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