'Middle East or Near East'? The world according to cafebabel.com...
By Adriano on Wednesday, March 28 2007, 20:08 - Making of - Permalink
I am very excited since that's my first post on this wonderful blog! Thanks to everyone for his/her participation until now... I think we are creating, step by step, a very constructive debate in order to buid an extraordinary European website!
Today, we would like to share with you a reflexion that is important for us: the one on geographical zones in the world.
A bit of background: you know, every article will receive a series of different tags, useful to reference the piece, useful for on site research and for search-engines. Tags will be both free and included in some lists. Among these lists there will be one with all the countries of the world. But a transnational media also have to include a list of geographical zones or regions in the world.
Do we say Middle East or Near East? Asia or Asia-Pacific? South-Eastern Europe or Balkans?
In the attached file (in French but easily understandable), you'll find three list of zones: the first one is a broader one, the second the one I propose for us, the third the world according to European Commission website.
What do you think? Please focus your comments on the second list. I really think that is a subject that is linked to our culture(s). That's why your opinion matters!
Vané
Adriano
natalia
Spock
Chakal
Nabeelah
Prune
Archimede
Katha
Cédric
Julie
Alberti
Jane
Jean-Séb 2.0
OLé
Comments
Very interesting reflection that gets to the heart of our different views of the world, even amongst europeans!
One question: will the tags be decided for every language? e.g. Middle East in English is Proche Orient in French, will we have to agree on whether to call it Middle east or Near east? can't each language choose what is used in their language? This would mean 7 lists of course...
As regards the tags, there will be one "key" tag (the original version)- for instance middle east - which will be translated into the other languages. So there will be seven versions of the "key" tag word.
No troubles then.
Yes, we are Eurocentristic in our thinking, but there is nothing wrong about it! Near East / Proche Orient / Bliski Wschód is a correct way to express it, after all, they are "near us", being Europe. Middle East sounds a bit confusing, don't you think? After all, how can "East" have a middle? East is always eastern of something that is more westwards... So for the Chinese Middle East should be some islands in the Pacific or the Hawaii? Lol.
In Polish we say Bałkany for the Balkans and hardly ever use the "South East Europe" name. Ugh. Sometimes it is "Western Balkans", because Eastern Balkans are Romania and Bulgaria for the most part.
To end, the funniest official name of a country? "Eastern Republic of Uruguay". Guess why.
Just because this republic is in the east of the river Uruguay...
MMmhmhmhm, I think we would have problems in Spanish, cause for use we distinguish 3 zones: Near East (Israel, Lebanon, Jordania, Palestine); Middle East (Syria, Irak, Iran, Afghanistan and Arab peninsula); and far East (Pakistan, India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos etc.)
Agree with Polish: we say balkanas and never south-east Europe.
Hope we'll find a solution: not a simplistic solution.
Fernando.
Hello there,
If I were you, I'd go with the extensive list of tags and I wouldn't make them exclusive.
Take Iran for instance. With a 'Middle-East' tag, you'd have all your stories ending up next those about Irak and Afghanistan.
But if I'm talking about the Natanz nuclear plant, it'd make more sense to link to the Pakistani and Israeli stories. Again, if the story is about fishing rights in the Caspian Sea, I'd like to be able to click on similar stories in Russia, Azerbaijan etc.
The problem isn't an easy one, but worth investigating.
Nico.
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Congrats, blindlemmon, correct answer!