A message I just received from Daniele:

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------------------- XML is the new best standard to export information without a fixed format. It allows us to import the data and show them as you want. The problem of XML file is the type of encoding of the file. We will know the type of encoding used in wiktionary to store data.

Other problem is the program to access XML data. To create an all-platform-compatible program, best way is using Java. All Windows, Mac, Linux, PocketPC, SmartPhone, PalmOS, Symbian, BeOS and other OS have a version of Java Virtual Machine. J2ME for embedded devices but it's a subdomain of J2SE. -------------------

by Ing. Lele

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I just had a look at the Japanese and Chinese version - as much as I can understand wiktionary and wikipedia use utf-8 encoding, but not with European languages.

Is there a reason for this?

Now let's se a moment this scenario:

1) there are different wiktionaries 2) there are different free dictionaries 3) thera are different multilingual tables with spedfic content

Everywhere people work on one theme: creating Open Content in terms of translations. Work is being done two, three, four or even more times. To my opinion this is not necessary. Working e.g. with MySQL databases xml is not a problem - and if we can concentrate on one single structure that feeds all of it - this would really be great. Efforts wouldn't be doubled anymore - instead of double or triple work we will have double or triple results.

Can you imagine any how to's - and moreover: how to organise this work?

Since many translators don't like working online I could imagine a dictionary software like the one Daniele wants to create for data input and proof reading - maybe combining things with OmegaT. Then take the encoded data and transfer it to the wiktionary.

This way we would have. 1) entries to be used in all wiktionaries (as editing should be in a multilanguage file or at least in part of it) 2) multilanguage tables of specific themes from where we easily can create bilingual tables 3) general dictionaries for the offline-user who can go to wiktionary when he desires additional information 4) what else?

For now: going back to my table :-)

Ciao, Sabine