EncodingAngabe

EncodingAngabe is a German term that translates to “encoding specification” in English. It denotes the information recorded about the character encoding used in digital text or digital media data. The field is typically used in metadata schemas, file formats and data exchange standards to ensure that software interprets byte streams correctly.

In the context of bibliographic and archival metadata, EncodingAngabe is often part of a larger element group that includes information such as character set, character case, punctuation, and byte order. The specification may refer to standards such as ISO/IEC 10646 (Unicode), ISO 8859 series, Windows‑1252, or proprietary encodings. It can also record the encoding format used for subtitle files (e.g. UTF‑8, UTF‑16 with BOM, Latin‑1) or for subtitle and lyrics files in media players.

For media files, EncodingAngabe may appear in XML or XMP metadata streams. For example, an MP4 file can include an “Encoding” tag that identifies whether the audio track is encoded in AAC or AC‑3, or whether a subtitle file is encoded in SRT or SSA with a specified character set.

In data interchange scenarios, the EncodingAngabe helps prevent garbled text or crashes caused by mismatched codepages. When exchanging data between systems that use different language and regional settings, the encoding specification guarantees that the original text is preserved when the data is read again.

Standardized encoding specifications are defined in international and national standards, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO/IEC 10646 for Unicode. The field ensures interoperability, enhances accessibility, and protects linguistic diversity in digital collections.