title: Interchanging lexical information for a multilingual dictionary.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To facilitate the interchange of lexical information for multiple languages in the medical domain. To pave the way for the emergence of a generally available truly multilingual electronic dictionary in the medical domain.
  
  
  METHODS
  An interchange format has to be neutral relative to the target languages. It has to be consistent with current needs of lexicon authors, present and future. An active interaction between six potential authors aimed to determine a common denominator striking the right balance between richness of content and ease of use for lexicon providers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A simple list of relevant attributes has been established and published. The format has the potential for collecting relevant parts of a future multilingual dictionary. An XML version is available.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This effort makes feasible the exchange of lexical information between research groups. Interchange files are made available in a public repository. This procedure opens the door to a true multilingual dictionary, in the awareness that the exchange of lexical information is (only) a necessary first step, before structuring the corresponding entries in different languages.
authors.affiliation: Service of Medical Informatics, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Baud
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nyström
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zweigenbaum
mesh_terms: D004018:Dictionaries, Medical as Topic; D019303:Multilingualism; D011381:Programming Languages; D018511:Systems Integration; D018875:Vocabulary, Controlled