The WCAG Explained

Summary:
WCAG 3.1.2, "Language of Parts," is dedicated to making web content more accessible by clearly marking the language changes within a page. This guideline is crucial for users who rely on screen readers and for those who are not fluent in the primary language of the content.

What:
This criterion requires that any change in the language of a page's text content is clearly identified so assistive technologies can accurately interpret it.

Why:
Accurate language identification is essential for screen readers to provide the correct pronunciation. It benefits non-native speakers and users with disabilities, ensuring they understand the content, even when it includes multiple languages.

Examples and Scenarios:

1. Quotes in a Foreign Language: In an English article, a quote in French should be marked with its language attribute.
2. Multilingual Customer Support Pages: Sections in different languages on a single page should be properly identified.
3. Educational Websites: When teaching language, the example sentences in different languages must be tagged accordingly.

How to Comply:

• Websites: Use the lang attribute in HTML to specify the language for sections or phrases where it changes from the page's primary language.
• Mobile Apps and Software Applications: Ensure parts of text in different languages are programmatically identified, maintaining consistency across platforms.

Exceptions:

• Minor Language Changes: Isolated words or phrases (like a brand name in another language) may not require a separate language tag.
• Technical Limitations: In some dynamic content or complex web applications, accurately tagging every language change might pose technical challenges.