Digital accessibility for multilingual websites

Unfortunately, viewing and using multilingual websites is still not a given for many people. No fewer than 1 in 4 Dutch people cannot navigate a website as standard due to a functional limitation. This can be due to a disability, or because of low literacy, dyslexia or colour blindness. All these people experience problems online every day when searching for information or buying products or services.

Yet web design is often still based on the average internet user. Offering multiple languages and accessibility simply takes more work. This causes frustration for users, but also higher bounce rates. How do you make sure that the large amount of content in different languages is digitally accessible? We give you a few tips. 

What is digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility is about making all online services and information accessible, so that everyone can use them. This is often already a challenge for Dutch websites, but certainly for multilingual websites. 

The big advantage of offering your website in multiple languages is that it becomes more accessible to a larger target audience. In times of digitalisation, digital accessibility for multilingual websites is therefore essential. The ability to reach your target audience online can no longer be imagined from the current marketing landscape. This is only possible by embracing the diversity of our society in your online strategy. By making multilingual websites accessible, you stimulate inclusivity.

Guidelines for websites and applications

In 1999, guidelines were drawn up that websites and applications must comply with. These are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The WCAG 2.1 is currently in force. For example, it states that a website must have a read-aloud option. The language of the website must also be changeable.

In 2016, the European Union decided that all websites and applications must become digitally accessible in the future. This positive future perspective will, as expected, gradually be rolled out into Dutch legislation. For example, it will become legally mandatory on 23 June 2021 for (semi-)government institutions to make both websites and mobile applications digitally accessible.

Curious why digital accessibility should be high on your priority list? We previously wrote an extensive article about it on Frankwatching. In this article, we discuss why digital accessibility is important and how it can be applied in practice.

Accessible multilingual websites

With multilingual websites, there are a few important aspects regarding accessibility. If you want to make your multilingual website more accessible, think about the following:

• Set the primary language with an HTML language code. This is essential for tools such as braille devices. 
• Different languages lead to differences in reading direction, font size and text lengths. Every written language is different. If your multilingual website consists of many different languages, it’s important to take that into account in terms of web design. The word ‘zoeken’ (search), for example, takes up more space in French than in Dutch. Chinese, for example, is also less readable in a small font size than English. 
• It’s not always easy to find a good translation of a particular piece of content. You may use a translation machine for a piece of text, but video content also has to be translated and made accessible. Various tools have been developed for this.

Use LinQuake for multilingual websites

The online translation platform LinQuake is a handy online environment with translation technology for multilingual websites. On this platform, you can upload and collect translations, for example. What is possible depends on the complexity of your WordPress website. Depending on the goal, the type of content and the desired quality, they use a translation machine or multiple professional translators, in consultation.

The advantage is that LinQuake’s translation technology can handle many different file formats, making specific parts of your multilingual website easier to make accessible. For example, it’s possible to translate video content by means of subtitling or a voice-over. The technology can also, for example, filter the text out of an HTML file and put it back into the code later. Want to know what LinQuake has to offer for your website? Then get in touch with us. 

Get started

Making your multilingual website digitally accessible is quite a job. Need advice on how to approach this? We’re here for you as a sparring partner, or read more about optimising multilingual websites.