OSCAR is best known as the LISA Special Interest Group responsible for developing the TMX standard for exchanging translation memory data. The scope of OSCAR, however, may expand to include a number of other standards. This expanded scope can be described in various ways. One way is to focus on information, often called "content", and talk about "Content Globalization Standards" in an information cycle.

The expanded goal of OSCAR would be the coordination of all localization (L10N), internationalization (I18N) and globalization (G11N) standards and standards initiatives under the OSCAR umbrella to ensure standards compatibility, interoperability, ease of use and implementation.

The roadmap for reaching this goal is as follows. First, make contact with all current groups involved in L10N, I18N, and G11N initiatives to get them to agree to the concept of aiming at a single XML guideline-and-tag-set framework, with each initiative taking on the form of a 'name space' within the tag set. Next, obtain buy-in from each of these groups to be associated with OSCAR, so that there is one organization which has contact with all initiatives simultaneously.

Once these ground rules have been established, OSCAR would work with these groups to develop the structure and architecture of the XML tag set to span all initiatives. After the XML super tag set or content globalization standards framework has been agreed upon, each group would then focus on the development and launch of its individual standard and OSCAR would support the adoption and promotion of the standards.

Two additional aspects of the expanded scope of OSCAR would be: (1) a focus on the components of the system that supports the information cycle ("Component Interfaces for Global Content Management"), and (2) a focus on the methodology for implementing these standards ("Markup Standards in Support of Globalization, Internationalization, and Localization").

Any way you look at it, the developing scope of OSCAR is consistent with its acronym expansion: "Open Standards for Container/Content Allowing Re-use". It is fortuitous that the 1997 acronym has worn so well.

On January 12th, Jorden Woods and Alan Melby, newly elected LISA Advisory Board members, met in Seattle with other interested parties to discuss the future of OSCAR and agreed that both their election platforms are subsumed under the new OSCAR. In addition, several important members of the ITS (Internationalization Tag Set) effort were there, including Steven Forth of DNA Media, and gave their preliminary acceptance of OSCAR's invitation to host the ITS Group. This proposal was further discussed in Antwerp at the end of January in the OSCAR meeting.

Now let's look at some specific classes of standards that clearly fall within the expanded scope of OSCAR:

1. data exchange standards
   • TMX
   • TBX (includes the ability to merge information contained in OLIF files)
2. markup that goes inside source text and other content
   • OpenTag
   • ITS (Internationalization Tag Set)
3. Inter-business
   • translation/localization job description (including workflow and performance measurement)
   • product codes, currencies, etc.

Why should LISA members be interested in OSCAR's aim to integrate all these types of markup standards, using XML wherever feasible? Because this family of related standards will provide protection of content investment, integration in the information cycle, and re-use of content. Your feeback concerning this ambitious vision is invited.