W3C resource, approved by consensus. (Includes Working Drafts.)
Non-W3C resource or W3C resource that is not yet approved by consensus.
Recommended technique.
This page lists links to resources on the W3C Internationalization Activity site and elsewhere that help you apply internationalization features when setting up a server. It is a subpage of the techniques index. A dynamic version of this page is also available, to help you get an overview and drill down quickly to what you need.
On this page: Characters • Language
Introducing character sets and encodings
W3C Getting Started article.
Character encodings for beginners
W3C article.
W3C best practises document (Characters and Encodings).
In W3C tutorial, Character sets & encodings in XHTML, HTML and CSS.
Setting the HTTP charset parameter
Notes on the charset HTTP header, server setup, and how to generate headers using scripts. W3C article.
Declaring the document encoding
In W3C tutorial, Character sets & encodings in XHTML, HTML and CSS.
The influence of standards- vs. quirks-mode on character encoding declarations. W3C article.
Setting charset information in .htaccess
How do I use .htaccess directives on an Apache server to serve files with a specific encoding? W3C FAQ-based article.
How can I check the character encoding information sent in the HTTP header of a web document? W3C article.
Checking the character encoding using the validator
How can I check that the character encoding of my document is correct using the W3C HTML Validator? W3C article.
External link .
External link .
External link .
W3C Getting Started article.
Content Negotiation: why it is useful, and how to make it work
Practical advice on setting up content negotiation using PHP and cookies, so that the user's preferred language can be remembered or overridden. Q&A Weblog post.
When to use language negotiation
When is it appropriate, or not, to use language negotiation? W3C FAQ-based article.
Setting language preferences in a browser
How do I check or change the language settings of my browser? W3C FAQ-based article.
HTTP and meta for language information
Should I declare the language of my XHTML document using a language attribute, the Content-Language HTTP header, or a meta element? W3C FAQ-based article.
Apache MultiViews language negotiation set up
How do I use the MultiViews approach on an Apache Web server to automatically serve resources in the language requested by an HTTP request? W3C FAQ-based article.
Mechanisms for declaring language in HTML
In Internationalization Best Practices: Specifying Language in XHTML & HTML Content.
When to use language negotiation
When is it appropriate, or not, to use language negotiation? W3C FAQ-based article.
Setting language preferences in a browser
How do I check or change the language settings of my browser? W3C FAQ-based article.
HTTP and meta for language information
Should I declare the language of my XHTML document using a language attribute, the Content-Language HTTP header, or a meta element? W3C FAQ-based article.
Choosing a Language Tag article
Which language tag is right for me? How do I choose language and other subtags? Covers all the subtag types in the latest version of BCP47.
Language tags in HTML and XML article
A simple overview of the syntax for language tags in BCP 47.
Tagging text with no language article
How do I use language markup in HTML or XML content when I don't know the language, or the content is non-linguistic?
Two-letter or three-letter language codes article
Should I use two-letter or three-letter ISO language codes in language tags? W3C article.
IANA Language Subtag Registry page
This is the official location where you will find all subtags available for use in language tags.
Language Subtag Lookup tool page
User friendly interface to IANA's language tag registry by Richard Ishida. Provides for checking of subtags as well as lookup. Up-to-date with latest version of BCP 47.
Internet-Draft: BCP 47 specification
Points to a document containing both RFC 5646 (Tags for the Identification of Languages) and RFC 4647 (Matching Language Tags)
RFC 5646 Tags for the Identification of Languages specification
The specification that describes language tag syntax.
RFC 4647 Matching of Language Tags specification
The specification that describes alternative ways of matching language tags.
ISO 3166: Codes for Country Names page
ISO country codes
ISO 639: Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages page
ISO language codes
