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Searching Legal Information in Multiple Asian Languages

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2012

Philip Chung ,
Andrew Mowbray  and
Graham Greenleaf
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Abstract

In this article Philip Chung, Andrew Mowbray, and Graham Greenleaf, the Co-Directors of the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII), explain the need for an open source search engine which can search simultaneously over legal materials in European languages and also in Asian languages, particularly those that require a ‘double byte’ representation, and the difficulties this task presents. A solution is proposed; the ‘u16a’ modifications to AustLII's open source search engine (Sino) which is used by many legal information institutes. Two implementations of the Sino u16A approach, on the Hong Kong Legal Information Institute (HKLII), for English and Chinese, and on the Asian Legal Information Institute (AsianLII), for multiple Asian languages, are described. The implementations have been successful, though many challenges (discussed briefly) remain before this approach will provide a full multi-lingual search facility.

Keywords

free legal informationinformation retrievalsearch enginesAsian languages
Type
Legal Literature: Unlocking Access
Information
Legal Information Management , Volume 12 , Issue 3 , September 2012 , pp. 173 - 184
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2012. Published by British and Irish Association of Law Librarians

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