[OAI-implementers] Metadata in multiple languages?

[Thomas G. Habing]

David Heath wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm new here so I'll just say a little about myself. I'm researching the 
> possibility of using OAI-PMH for internal (and maybe later external) 
> content sharing for http://www.oneworld.net/, which is a news portal 
> covering evironmental/human rights issues. I'm a freelance developer 
> who's been working for OneWorld for several years.
> 
> I have a specific question, which is as follows:
> 
> I have some resources which have metadata available in multiple 
> languages. I'd like to know what the recommended way to encode and 
> transfer this metadata would be, and in particular whether it is 
> possible with the standard oai_dc encoding. Some possibilities which I 
> am considering:
> 
> 1. are the different languages actually different "metadata records" and 
> therefore should have a different identifier in the OAI header (I don't 
> think so)?

I don't think so either.

> 
> 2. should I include, for example, multiple dc:title elements and add an 
> xml:lang attribute, e.g.:
> 
> <dc:title xml:lang="en">The Eiffel Tower</dc:title>
> <dc:title xml:lang="fr">La Tour Eiffel</dc:title>
> 
> in this case, is the xml:lang attribute permitted by the XML Schema for 
> oai_dc?

The xml:lang attribute is definitely permitted by the schema.

You might want to check out the OAI Best Practices wiki, 
http://oai-best.comm.nsdl.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?MetadataContent
I think they also have some guidelines for specifying language.

Tom

> 
> Thanks for any assistance you can provide.
> 
> Best regards
> 
> David Heath
> 

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