Tag(s): tr-i18n-html-tech-lang

Authoring HTML: Handling Right-to-left Scripts and Authoring HTML: Language declarations have both been updated to a new format that lists do’s and don’ts, but points to existing or new articles for detailed information. This will significantly help in keeping the material up to date in the future as technology changes. The documents have also been thoroughly overhauled to reflect the latest changes and information on

The first document provides advice to content authors using HTML markup and CSS style sheets about how to create pages for languages that use right-to-left scripts, such as Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Thaana, Urdu, etc. It explains how to create content in right-to-left scripts that builds on but goes beyond the Unicode bidirectional algorithm, as well as how to prepare content for localization into right-to-left scripts.

The second helps content authors specify the language of content, which is useful for a wide number of applications, from linguistically-sensitive searching to applying language-specific display properties. In some cases the potential applications for language information are still waiting for implementations to catch up, whereas in others it is a necessity today. Adding markup for language information to content is something that can and should be done now and as content is first developed. If not, it will be much more difficult to take advantage of any future developments.

This document provides best practices related to the practical aspects of specifying language in XHTML/HTML content. Content authors can use these to ensure that their HTML is easily adaptable for an international audience. These best practices are best addressed from the start of content development if unnecessary costs and resource issues are to be avoided later on.

Editor: Richard Ishida.

The Internationalization GEO (Guidelines, Education & Outreach) Working Group has published an updated Working Draft of Internationalization Best Practices: Specifying Language in XHTML & HTML Content. Part of a series designed for authors, the document is an aid to specifying the language of content for an international audience.

The title has been changed to reflect that these are ‘Best practises’ rather than ‘Techniques’, and the content and format has been substantially reworked. In particular, the term ‘primary language’ has been replaced with references to the ‘language of the intended audience’.