[Digikam-users] Fwd: Re: Controlled vocabulary

[Martin (KDE)]

Am 28.02.2012 14:46, schrieb Mark Hayes (Hotmail):

Marc,

> 
> Martin,
> 
> Thanks for the reply.  Maybe I don't really follow - but I see no reason
> at all why controlled vocabulary lists can't be in any language that you
> choose.  Why would they have to be in English?

This is a good question: because you need one base language on which
most people communicate. If you use your local language a general
vocabulary isn't of much use (as Jean-Francoise stated I would never
find a photo of Aachen if it is tagged in French).

> 
> I fully understand that 'original' or first-time lists might be created
> in English - for many reasons - but still, that shouldn't be any barrier
> to having lists in any language that you wanted.  Apart from the actual
> need of providing translations (which I admit is never easy anyway) - I
> don't see any need for this to stop you having a controlled vocabulary
> that matches mine exactly, but happens to be in another native
> language.  Why not?  If you're German and would like a list in German,
> then OK, go for it.  It makes your life easier, fulfils your needs, and
> does what you want.
> 
> Forgetting the whole thing about 'English' anyway, don't the same
> arguments and advantages of having a controlled vocabulary hold up
> whatever language you speak?

Partially. The problem is who controls the vocabulary. If it is
controlled by every individual it is useless.

> 
> I agree though, that you will need to learn any controlled language or
> taxonomy.  But still, you'd _hope_ that the advantage of a controlled
> vocabulary would be that it might be a more simplified system - by that,
> I mean that it really shouldn't make it _harder_ to find the words to
> describe what you need, by its very nature, it's supposed to be there to
> make it easier, isn't it?

I still think this depends on your target. For programming language this
is easy (vocabulary wise). They have a clear target: writing software.
But you get many different answers if it comes to coding style and OO
Methods. So you have a (limited) base language but how you use it
differs widely.

So you can establish a controlled language in one company (or
organization in general) but I doubt that it will work beyond this.

> 
> I must confess that I don't sell photos either(!) - but still, if I'm
> going to go to the trouble of trying to set up Digikam for me - I am
> looking at how I should do this so that it provides the most complete,
> future-proof (if possible) solution to being able to find photos at a
> later date.  IMHO, the tag system is something that requires a little
> thought before you kick it off.  It may not be easy to add a tag later
> that then needs adding retro-actively to several thousand photos.  When
> would you ever get around to doing that?

But this is relative easy with digikam. I reorganized my tags several
times. About four years ago I was on vacation in (the absolute
incredible) Provence. For these Photos I build a Tag "Location/Provence"
and "Vacation/Provence". Whereas the vacation tag is sufficient the
location one is not (After my vacation in Alsac-Loraine). So I selected
all photos with "Location/Provence" Tag and changed them to
"Location/France/Provence" And it is done. (Of course it was a little
more work as I tag the cities as well.)

> 
> So I want to think about it now, canvas people's opinions and try to
> find out what is best, what can be done - and how it might be done in
> Digikam (if at all).
> 
> Thanks for your input.  Maybe I miss your point - but I don't see that
> language issues should really pose the problems that you believe. 
> Please feel free to explain further or correct me if I mis-understand.

So you missed my point a little bit. If I use my own controlled
vocabulary there is nothing digikam can do for me besides providing the
infrastructure to use my own controlled language (which digikam already
support).

Martin

> 
> Many thanks.
> 
> Anyone else got ideas and comments on this?
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Mark.
>