W3C 简介

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作者:w3pop.com 翻译/整理:w3pop.com 

 W3C was started in 1994 to lead the Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability.
W3C 在1994年创立，它通过开发最常用的协议推进互联网的革命，确保互联网的协同工作能力，从而引领了互联网的潮流。

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What it Is
什么是W3C？
W3C Stands for the World Wide Web Consortium
W3C 代表了万维网联盟

W3C was created in October 1994
W3C 在1994年10月创立

W3C was created by Tim Berners-Lee
W3C 的创始人是Tim Berners-Lee

W3C was created by the Inventor of the Web
W3C 是Web的发明者创建的

W3C is organized as a Member Organization
W3C 是一个成员组织

W3C is working to Standardize the Web
W3C 致力于创建标准化的网络

W3C creates and maintains WWW Standards
W3C 创建和维护了 WWW 标准

W3C Standards are called W3C Recommendations
W3C 标准被称为 W3C 推荐

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How it Started
它是怎样被创建的？

The World Wide Web (WWW) began as a project at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), where Tim Berners-Lee developed a vision of the World Wide Web.
万维网（WWW）是作为欧洲原子能研究机构组织（CERN）的一个项目而被创建出来的。在那里，Tim Berners-Lee 开发了万维网的第一个可视化版本。

Tim Berners-Lee - the inventor of the World Wide Web - is now the Director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Tim Berners-Lee - 万维网的创始人 - 现在是W3C的总指挥。

W3C was created in 1994 as a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), with support from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and the European Commission.
W3C 是由美国麻省理工大学（MIT）和欧洲原子能研究机构组织（CERN）

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Standardizing the Web
标准化网络

W3C is working to make the Web accessible to all users (despite differences in culture, education, ability, resources, and physical limitations)
W3C 致力于让所有人都能够访问网络（包括不同的文化、教育程度、能力、资源和物理限制）

W3C also coordinates its work with many other standards organizations such as the Internet Engineering Task Force, the Wireless Application Protocols (WAP) Forum and the Unicode Consortium.
W3C 通常与其它的标准化组织合作，如：Internet 工程任务组。无线应用协议（WAP）论坛和统一标准编码协会。

W3C is hosted by three universities:
W3C 是由三所大学主办：

Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S.
美国麻省理工

The French National Research Institute in Europe
欧洲法国国家研究机构

Keio University in Japan
日本庆应大学（Keio University）

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W3C Members
W3C 成员

Because the Web is so important (both in scope and in investment) that no single organization should have control over its future, W3C functions as a member organization.
因为网络是如此的重要（包括活动范围和投资），因此，不可能出现单独的一支机构来掌控它的将来，W3C就是作为这样的一个成员组织。

Some well known members are:
很多著名的成员包括：

IBM [国际商用机器]

Microsoft [微软]

America Online [美国在线]

Apple [苹果公司]

Adobe [Adobe公司]

Macromedia [Macromedia 公司]

Sun Microsystems [Sun 微型计算机系统公司]

The Full List of Member Organisations includes a variety of software vendors, content providers, corporate users, telecommunications companies, academic institutions, research laboratories, standards bodies, and governments.
成员组织列表包含了所有的软件供应商、内容提供者、协作用户、电信公司、学术机构、研究实验室、标准团体和政府。

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W3C Recommendations
W3C 推荐标准

The most important work done by the W3C is the development of Web specifications (called "Recommendations") that describe communication protocols (like HTML and XML) and other building blocks of the Web.
W3C最重要的工作就是发展用于描述交互式协议（如：HTML和XML）的网络规则和其他网络组件。

Each W3C Recommendation is developed by a work group consisting of members and invited experts. The group obtains its input from companies and other organizations, and creates a Working Draft and finally a Proposed Recommendation. In general the Recommendation is submitted to the W3C membership and director, for a formal approval as a W3C Recommendation.
每个W3C推荐标准都是由W3C成员和邀请的专家所开发的。该团体包括了来自于公司和其它组织的输入信息，并创建了工作样本，最终，将该协议作为推荐的标准。大致上讲，推荐的协议都要提交给W3C成员和总指挥审查，而后作为正式的W3C推荐标准公布于众。