[Talk-GB] Multi-lingual tagging in Wales

[Philip Barnes]

On Wed, 2020-10-21 at 12:10 +0100, Ben Proctor wrote:
> Thanks to everyone who has chipped in on this thread so far.
> 
> I'd like to draw out what I see as the key threads of the discussion
> so far:
> The use of :cy and :en name tags should be encouraged. It allows more
> flexibility in rendering and adds clarity. So far this hasn't been a
> very controversial part of the discussion. 
> 
> I think the wiki could be revised to emphasise this without causing
> too much concern.
> 
> 
> 
> There isn't consensus on the use of the name: tag. I think there
> several suggestions have been floated:
> always use the name that is used in Welsh use the name that is used
> by the "local population" (which is what the wiki currently
> suggests)use the Welsh name and English name together separated by a
> hyphen (which is the practice in some other countries)

In Wales this has been done with a slash rather than a hyphen. A hyphen
can appear in the name in both languages, a slash is uniquely a
separator.

The other way the name tag is used in Wales, as is used on many signs
is to exploit the ordering differences of the two languages, i.e.
Ffordd Fabian Way 

> use the name on local signage
> We have had advice that OSM should maintain neutrality. I'm sure
> that is the sensible position to aim for. This tends to point us to
> using the name on local signage or the name used by the "local
> population". 
> 
> From my perspective identifying the name used by the local population
> is likely to be fraught in many cases and so a mapper would probably
> be best advised to refer to local signage.
> 
> Local signage will frequently show the cy: name and the en: name. 
> 
> So I *think* this might be pointing us towards suggesting the name:
> tag should reflect local signage. This would inevitably lead to more
> dual naming in the name: tag.  

Signage is at best at county level and does not reflect the local
language and just picking one local example, Welshpool is signed as Y
Trallwng / 	Welshpool. Local usage is certainly Welshpool so it
would not make sense to change the name tag. Both languages are in the
objects which allows maps to be rendered in each language. We should
certainly be sticking to the current wiki.

Also the reallity is that outside of border areas and big cities many
places have one name, it would not make much sense to have
name=Llangollen, name:cy=Llangollen name:en=Llangollen, the name tag
will do.

Phil (trigpoint)



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