> This is really off topic. If you want to start up a thread about this, please 
> use a different subject.

Well, perhaps I may explain why I consider the post to be on topic.

The document

http://unicode.org/draft/reports/tr51/tr51.html

at present includes the following.

quote

There is one further kind of label, called a "read-out", for text-to-speech. 
For accessibility when reading text, it is useful to have a semi-unique name 
for an emoji character. The Unicode character name can often serve as a basis 
for this, but its requirements for uniqueness often ends up with names that are 
overly long, such as black right-pointing double triangle with vertical bar for 
⏯.

Note that the labels need to be in each user’s language to useful. They cannot 
simply be a translation of an English label, since different words, or even 
different categorizations, may be what is expected in different languages. The 
terms given in the data files here have been collected from different sources. 
They are only initial suggestions, not expected to be complete, and only in 
English.

end quote

If the UTC (Unicode Technical Committee) accepts the introduction of read-out 
labels, each read-out label both linked to a pictograph character and also 
linked to a language-localization text string, then that will be a far-reaching 
enhancement to Unicode which may have enormous implications for facilitating 
communication through the language barrier.

Although suggested in the draft as for use in text-to-speech, a read-out label 
could also be displayed as text, either in addition to the pictograph or 
instead of the pictograph.

The linked picture in my post contains two examples, each of which may, in the 
present context be regarded as a pictograph and a read-out label text string 
displayed together.

Imagine please if museum and art gallery websites each were to have an 
international webpage in its on-line shop.

If there were on the webpage emoji for Surname, Forename, Delivery address, 
Card number, Card expiry date and so on and the end-user could display text in 
his or her own language by displaying the appropriate read-out label next to 
the pictograph of the emoji, then that could be very helpful.

William Overington

15 April 2014


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