[Tagging] Slash, space, or spaced hyphen in multi-lingual names

[Paul Allen]

On Fri, Aug 10, 2018 at 6:38 PM, Daniel McCormick <mccormick at kaartgroup.com>
wrote:

>
> The goal of OSM is not to create a map that renders great on the default
> renderer. The goal is to create repository that can be rendered quickly and
> easily by anyone. The default map is what we primarily interact with and
> just like anything it has become the lens by which we view our contribution
> to the map. However, that lens is not the best viewing glass in most
> situations. When we add multiple languages we are not actually adding
> anything to data, as long as we are using name:xx=*, but rather are
> cluttering the existing data and impeding the use of the very data that we
> spend so much time making better. With the names properly categorized we
> can create a renderer that does all we want it to in much simpiler fashion
> then if we are to add multilingual names to the name=* tag. We could even
> make a renderer that shows multilingual names that sources all of our
> name:xx tags.
>

I fully agree that in a monolingual area, adding other languages in the
name=* tag is foolish and unhelpful.  For
streets I'd argue that adding name:xx=* is also unhelpful.   Seeing
"William Strasse" or "Wilhelm Strasse" on a map
isn't much help if you're on the ground and looking at as sign saying
"William Street."

The situation changes in multilingual areas, where the signs themselves are
multilingual.  The example I keep
using is:

Heol Napier
Napier Street

But if the sign were damaged and replaced, the new sign is more likely to
follow more recent conventions and
say "Heol Napier Street."

Either way name:cy="Heol Napier" and name:en="Napier Street" but in both
situations rendering either of those
does *not* show what the sign actually says.  Having the renderer software
use " / " to concatenate the two represents
the first format adequately but misrepresents the second.

I don't think there is any substitute for mapping and rendering the
actuality.  Maybe with vector tiles and the option to
display any or all of name, name:cy, name:en, loc_name and alt_name at the
click of a mouse, that changes, but I'd
still prefer on-the-ground reality as the default.

-- 
Paul
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