The World Bank has an interesting new blog on the issue of Governance and Accountability. Called "People, Spaces, Deliberation" it aims to engage people in discussion on how best to secure good governance. This is a nice example of a corporate effort to engage people in a direct manner and keep stakeholders up to date, and it is highly appropriate for a programme focused on communications.
http://publicsphere.worldbank.org/
05 February 2008
09 November 2007
Spellings, names and other essentials
This document is in English, but is it British or American English?
It really does matter.
Glossaries are especially important during translation. Word lists, databases and guides also help us to agree on the meaning of specific words and phrases. Adopting a standardised reference tool can not only help to avoid misunderstandings but also ensure consistency and thus coherence and good branding across your organisation.
Below are some useful references for glossaries and other terminology and other guides relating to the UN system and further afield.
UNBIS Thesaurus
The multilingual UNBIS Thesaurus contains the terminology used in subject analysis of documents and other materials relevant to UN programmes and activities.
http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/LIB/DHLUNBISThesaurus.nsf
UNTERM: UN Multilingual Terminology Database
UNTERM is a multilingual terminology database which provides United Nations nomenclature and special terms in all six official UN languages.
http://unterm.un.org/
UN Glossary of Standard Terms (classification, nomenclature)
Approved by the Expert Group on International Economic and Social Classifications as a working document.
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/class/family/glossary_short.htm
UNDP Glossary
Intranet access only
Glossary to business practices, as defined within UNDP.
http://practices.undp.org/management/glossary/userguide/
UN Correspondence Manual
A guide to the drafting, processing and dispatch of official United Nations communications. (PDF)
http://www.unu.edu/HQ/library/resource/UN-correspondence-manual.pdf
UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)
Requires institutional subscription
EOLSS is an integrated compendium of sixteen encyclopedias and is developed under the auspices of the UNESCO, Eolss Publishers, UK.
http://greenplanet.eolss.net/EolssLogn/InsLogin.aspx
AGROVOC Thesaurus by FAO
A multilingual, structured and controlled vocabulary designed to cover the terminology of all subject fields in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and related domains (e.g. environment).
http://www.fao.org/aims/ag_intro.htm
ILO Thesaurus
A compilation of more than 4000 terms relating to the world of work. Every term is presented in English, French, and Spanish. Many of the terms are followed by definitions or explanatory notes.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/support/lib/tools/aboutthes.htm
3-letter country codes (e.g. USA, DEU)
Countries or areas, codes and abbreviations
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm
OECD Macrothesaurus
The Macrothesaurus for Information Processing in the field of Economic and Social Development represents a continuation of the combined efforts of many organisations over a period of almost 30 years to create a common vocabulary to facilitate the indexing, retrieval and exchange of development-related information.
Online: (Engl., Sp. Fr.) http://168.96.200.17/ar/oecd-macroth/
Book: http://oberon.sourceoecd.org/vl=2204601/cl=31/nw=1/rpsv/%7E6669/v1998n12/s1/p1l
Oxford English Dictionary Online
For drafting and editing UN documents and publications, the authority for spelling and hyphenation in the United Nations is the 11th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary published in 2004. Refer to Editorial Directive dated 16 March 2005 [http://www.unu.edu/hq/library/resource/Editorial-directive_ST2005.pdf]. The OED provides authoritative definitions of over 500,000 words. It traces the usage of words from their first recorded occurence to the modern period through 2.5 million quotations from a wide rang of international language sources. It also offers the best in etymological analysis and detailed listings of variant spellings.
http://dictionary.oed.com/
Europa World Plus
Requires paid subscription
Europa World Plus brings the renowned The Europa World Year Book and the nine Europa Regional Surveys of the World to the Web as a dynamic online database. It provides detailed country surveys containing the latest analytical, statistical and directory data available for over 250 countries and territories. It also contains a comprehensive listing of some 1,900 international organizations.
http://www.europaworld.com/LOGIN?sessionid=a22b166a00f965e53798f05baec63769&authstatuscode=400
It really does matter.
Glossaries are especially important during translation. Word lists, databases and guides also help us to agree on the meaning of specific words and phrases. Adopting a standardised reference tool can not only help to avoid misunderstandings but also ensure consistency and thus coherence and good branding across your organisation.
Below are some useful references for glossaries and other terminology and other guides relating to the UN system and further afield.
UNBIS Thesaurus
The multilingual UNBIS Thesaurus contains the terminology used in subject analysis of documents and other materials relevant to UN programmes and activities.
http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/LIB/DHLUNBISThesaurus.nsf
UNTERM: UN Multilingual Terminology Database
UNTERM is a multilingual terminology database which provides United Nations nomenclature and special terms in all six official UN languages.
http://unterm.un.org/
UN Glossary of Standard Terms (classification, nomenclature)
Approved by the Expert Group on International Economic and Social Classifications as a working document.
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/class/family/glossary_short.htm
UNDP Glossary
Intranet access only
Glossary to business practices, as defined within UNDP.
http://practices.undp.org/management/glossary/userguide/
UN Correspondence Manual
A guide to the drafting, processing and dispatch of official United Nations communications. (PDF)
http://www.unu.edu/HQ/library/resource/UN-correspondence-manual.pdf
UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)
Requires institutional subscription
EOLSS is an integrated compendium of sixteen encyclopedias and is developed under the auspices of the UNESCO, Eolss Publishers, UK.
http://greenplanet.eolss.net/EolssLogn/InsLogin.aspx
AGROVOC Thesaurus by FAO
A multilingual, structured and controlled vocabulary designed to cover the terminology of all subject fields in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and related domains (e.g. environment).
http://www.fao.org/aims/ag_intro.htm
ILO Thesaurus
A compilation of more than 4000 terms relating to the world of work. Every term is presented in English, French, and Spanish. Many of the terms are followed by definitions or explanatory notes.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/support/lib/tools/aboutthes.htm
3-letter country codes (e.g. USA, DEU)
Countries or areas, codes and abbreviations
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm
OECD Macrothesaurus
The Macrothesaurus for Information Processing in the field of Economic and Social Development represents a continuation of the combined efforts of many organisations over a period of almost 30 years to create a common vocabulary to facilitate the indexing, retrieval and exchange of development-related information.
Online: (Engl., Sp. Fr.) http://168.96.200.17/ar/oecd-macroth/
Book: http://oberon.sourceoecd.org/vl=2204601/cl=31/nw=1/rpsv/%7E6669/v1998n12/s1/p1l
Oxford English Dictionary Online
For drafting and editing UN documents and publications, the authority for spelling and hyphenation in the United Nations is the 11th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary published in 2004. Refer to Editorial Directive dated 16 March 2005 [http://www.unu.edu/hq/library/resource/Editorial-directive_ST2005.pdf]. The OED provides authoritative definitions of over 500,000 words. It traces the usage of words from their first recorded occurence to the modern period through 2.5 million quotations from a wide rang of international language sources. It also offers the best in etymological analysis and detailed listings of variant spellings.
http://dictionary.oed.com/
Europa World Plus
Requires paid subscription
Europa World Plus brings the renowned The Europa World Year Book and the nine Europa Regional Surveys of the World to the Web as a dynamic online database. It provides detailed country surveys containing the latest analytical, statistical and directory data available for over 250 countries and territories. It also contains a comprehensive listing of some 1,900 international organizations.
http://www.europaworld.com/LOGIN?sessionid=a22b166a00f965e53798f05baec63769&authstatuscode=400
15 October 2007
Blogging campaigns
Blog Action Day was a good example of a 'word of mouth' campaign that called thousands of people together through a collective interest (in this case, blogging).
The premise is relatively simple: if every blog on the same day has the same focus, more people (readers of blogs) will become aware, informed and interested in the issue.
It's a bit like running the same advert on every TV channel, at the same time (a concept you might better appreciate if you don't have cable or satellite TV!).
Does it work? Well, thousands of bloggers turned their blogs to the issue, or at least linked to the main website (Blog Action Day), or another relevant site of interest.
I would argue that the largest impact would be seen at websites where the focus is traditionally on other issues: by turning their attention to the environment, they create a new focus and have more chance of grabbing their readers' attention. Blogs that regularly report on environmental issues would be less likely to spur sudden interest in the underlying issues, though they might benefit from greater traffic as a result of all the publicity.
A global campaign like this is hard to organise, and the idea would quickly pale if used too often. However limited campaigns can be quite effective.
You could try a mini campaign - aim for a very selected audience (e.g. bloggers who already write about the environment) and ask them to write about a very specific issue on the same day (e.g. forestry). Make sure you have plenty of supporting material for them to draw on (statistics, images, quotes, etc.) and invite them to link to your site or another that is pertinent and authoritative.
Another idea is to adopt a rolling campaign, with no specific date, but which encourages bloggers to post a link, icon (with link), image or brief message when they can. Web circles and their ilk take a similar approach by networking like-minded websites.
For my own contribution, I am providing links to the UN's leading environmental organisations, for your further information.
UN Environment Programme www.unep.org
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change www.unfccc.int
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change www.ipcc.ch
UN Convention to Combat Desertification www.unccd.int
The premise is relatively simple: if every blog on the same day has the same focus, more people (readers of blogs) will become aware, informed and interested in the issue.
It's a bit like running the same advert on every TV channel, at the same time (a concept you might better appreciate if you don't have cable or satellite TV!).
Does it work? Well, thousands of bloggers turned their blogs to the issue, or at least linked to the main website (Blog Action Day), or another relevant site of interest.
I would argue that the largest impact would be seen at websites where the focus is traditionally on other issues: by turning their attention to the environment, they create a new focus and have more chance of grabbing their readers' attention. Blogs that regularly report on environmental issues would be less likely to spur sudden interest in the underlying issues, though they might benefit from greater traffic as a result of all the publicity.
A global campaign like this is hard to organise, and the idea would quickly pale if used too often. However limited campaigns can be quite effective.
You could try a mini campaign - aim for a very selected audience (e.g. bloggers who already write about the environment) and ask them to write about a very specific issue on the same day (e.g. forestry). Make sure you have plenty of supporting material for them to draw on (statistics, images, quotes, etc.) and invite them to link to your site or another that is pertinent and authoritative.
Another idea is to adopt a rolling campaign, with no specific date, but which encourages bloggers to post a link, icon (with link), image or brief message when they can. Web circles and their ilk take a similar approach by networking like-minded websites.
For my own contribution, I am providing links to the UN's leading environmental organisations, for your further information.
UN Environment Programme www.unep.org
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change www.unfccc.int
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change www.ipcc.ch
UN Convention to Combat Desertification www.unccd.int
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