Subject: Entries in multiple language

From: Reto Bachmann-Gmür <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 14:48:11 +0200

I'm trying to implement Atom support for KnoBot [1], the KnoBot CMS
supports entries and feeds in multiple language with http-language
negotiation.

Reading the spec I'm not sure how an entry should be described in
multiple language, more specifically how updates of a multilingual entry
should be communicated.

The examples below are based on a real press release published by my
employer the Swiss Refugee Council [2], the URLs are real and refer to
the multilingual press release. For the purpose of the example however,
I made fictional changes to the content.

My questions are:
- Is this the atom-way of dealing with different language versions?
- While the first update does not outdate the original German version
but fixes a "bug" in the language version the second update oudates the
existing french versions, how can this be expressed? (the idea of
publishing an 'empty' french entry seems not an option because because
of the required element of entry and because of the possibility that the
entry has been published in other languages by sources the publisher is
not aware of.)

Note that the first two entries share the same value of atom:updated,
this is a SHOULD-Level violation of section 4.1.1. I think the spec
should allow multiple entries with the same timestamp iff they differ by
language and/or content-type. In multilingual countries like Switzerland
it is required (as for laws) or at least a matter of political
correctness (as for press releases) for some publications to be
published at the same time in all language versions.

The following two entries are in a feed
     
<entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="de">
	<title>Asylgesetzrevision - Aus humanitärer Sicht inakzeptabel!</title>
	<link rel="self" type="text/html" hreflang="de"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="application/rdf+n3" hreflang="de"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="text/html" hreflang="fr"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="application/rdf+n3" hreflang="fr"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="enclosure" length="92678" title="Presserohstoff"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/050927_asylgnr_presserohstoff_"/>
	<id>http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision</id>
	<updated>2005-09-27T11:00-01:00</updated>
	<published>2005-09-27T11:00-01:00</published>
	<author>
		<name>pro</name>
		<uri>http://osar.ch/aslum-rights</uri>
		<email>[email-masked]</email>
	</author>
	<summary type="xhtml"
	 xml:base="http://www.osar.ch/">
		<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
		  Der Nationalrat hat heute praktisch allen Verschärfungsvorschlägen
des Ständerates zum Asylgesetz zugestimmt. Der verfassungswidrige
Nothilfestopp blieb chancenlos. Die SFH ist sehr enttäuscht über den
Ausgang der Beratung. Das neue Gesetz opfert den Schutz von Verfolgten
zugunsten von unverhältnismässiger Missbrauchsbekämpfung. Damit ist das
Referendum unausweichlich.
		</div>
	</summary>
</entry>

<entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="fr">
	<generator uri="http://www.example.com/" version="1.0">
		Example Toolkit
	</generator>
	<title>Revision de la loi sur l'asile - Inacceptable sur le plan
humain</title>
	<link rel="self" type="text/html" hreflang="fr"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="application/rdf+n3" hreflang="fr"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="text/html" hreflang="de"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="application/rdf+n3" hreflang="de"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<!-- Omiting the length attribute as the enclosure is not yet available
in french, a temporary SHOULD-level violation! -->
	<link rel="enclosure" title="Documentation"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/050927_asylgnr_presserohstoff_"/>
	<id>http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision</id>
	<updated>2005-09-27T11:00-01:00</updated>
	<published>2005-09-27T11:00-01:00</published>
	<author>
		<name>pro</name>
		<uri>http://osar.ch/aslum-rights</uri>
		<email>[email-masked]</email>
	</author>
	<summary type="xhtml"
	 xml:base="http://www.osar.ch/">
		<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
		  Le Conseil national a approuvé aujourd’hui pratiquement toutes les
aggravations proposées par le Conseil Fédéral dans le cadre de la
révision de la loi sur l’asile. L’exclusion de l’aide de première
nécessité, contraire à la Constitution, a été rejetée. L’OSAR se montre
profondément déçue par l’issue des débats. La nouvelle loi sacrifie la
protection des personnes persécutées sur l’autel d’un combat
disproportionné contre les abus. Le référendum apparaît dès lors
inévitable.
		</div>
	</summary>
</entry>

One hour later an important error in the french version gets fixed
(s/Conseil Fédéral/Conseil des Etats/)

<entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="fr">
	<generator uri="http://www.example.com/" version="1.0">
		Example Toolkit
	</generator>
	<title>Revision de la loi sur l'asile - Inacceptable sur le plan
humain</title>
	<link rel="self" type="text/html" hreflang="fr"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="application/rdf+n3" hreflang="fr"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="text/html" hreflang="de"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="application/rdf+n3" hreflang="de"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<!-- Omiting the length attribute as the enclosure is not yet available
in french, a temporary SHOULD-level violation! -->
	<link rel="enclosure" title="Documentation"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/050927_asylgnr_presserohstoff_"/>
	<id>http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision</id>
	<updated>2005-09-27T12:00-01:00</updated>
	<published>2005-09-27T11:00-01:00</published>
	<author>
		<name>pro</name>
		<uri>http://osar.ch/aslum-rights</uri>
		<email>[email-masked]</email>
	</author>
	<summary type="xhtml"
	 xml:base="http://www.osar.ch/">
		<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
		  Le Conseil national a approuvé aujourd’hui pratiquement toutes les
aggravations proposées par le Conseil des Etats dans le cadre de la
révision de la loi sur l’asile. L’exclusion de l’aide de première
nécessité, contraire à la Constitution, a été rejetée. L’OSAR se montre
profondément déçue par l’issue des débats. La nouvelle loi sacrifie la
protection des personnes persécutées sur l’autel d’un combat
disproportionné contre les abus. Le référendum apparaît dès lors
inévitable.
		</div>
	</summary>
</entry>

One day later the entry becomes some major changes, and is published
again (in the feed), the new version is currently only available in
german

<entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="de">
	<generator uri="http://www.example.com/" version="1.0">
		Example Toolkit
	</generator>
	<title>Asylgesetzrevision - Aus humanitärer Sicht fragwürdig</title>
	<link rel="self" type="text/html" hreflang="de"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="application/rdf+n3" hreflang="de"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="text/html" hreflang="fr"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="self" type="application/rdf+n3" hreflang="fr"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision"/>
	<link rel="enclosure" length="92678" title="Presserohstoff"
	 href="http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/050927_asylgnr_presserohstoff_"/>
	<id>http://www.osar.ch/2005/09/27/pm_asylg-revision</id>
	<updated>2005-09-28T11:00-01:00</updated>
	<published>2005-09-27T11:00-01:00</published>
	<author>
		<name>pro</name>
		<uri>http://osar.ch/aslum-rights</uri>
		<email>[email-masked]</email>
	</author>
	<summary type="xhtml"
	 xml:base="http://www.osar.ch/">
		<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
		  Der Nationalrat hat heute praktisch allen Verschärfungsvorschlägen
des Ständerates zum Asylgesetz zugestimmt. Der verfassungswidrige
Nothilfestopp blieb chancenlos. Die SFH ist sehr enttäuscht über den
Ausgang der Beratung. Das neue Gesetz opfert den Schutz von Verfolgten
zugunsten von unverhältnismässiger Missbrauchsbekämpfung. 
		</div>
	</summary>
</entry>

reto

1. http://wymiwyg.org/knobot
2. http://www.osar.ch/