[Tagging] The current problem with tagging

[John Smith]

2009/10/18 Mike N. <niceman at att.net>:
>> From there if an API could be created for editors we could do things
>> like mousing over a tag in JOSM/potlatch then throws up a page of text
>> describing the tag.
>>
>> Any tags the are entered that aren't in the database could generate a
>> prompt asking people to document it on the spot, alternatively we
>> could have a suggestion engine by searching both tag names and in the
>> descriptions and seeing if something similar already exists and they
>> could choose to use that instead.
>
>  I agree with this - someone else described a system of meta-tags for tags,
> integrated into the editors to make it easy to locate the tag you're
> thinking of by subject, possibly even in the local language.   The editors
> could even hide the 'official English tag' used internally by OSM.   Less
> common local items could be in a language other than English.

That's a good point, having some kind of API for tags would make it
possible to have translations with very little extra effort from a
programming point of view.