Language of Parts - Success Criterion 3.1.2 (Level AA)

Question

If content on a page switches from one language to another language for a section, is that section’s language properly identified in the code?

Why is this important?

Specifying any changes in language for the content enables browsers, web applications, plug-ins and extensions to present the characters accurately. It also allows assistive technologies to load the appropriate pronunciation values which enables the user to better understand the material presented.

Whom does it benefit?

Example 1

As a user with low-vision,
I want my screen reader to load the appropriate pronunciation of words within my content
so that I can comprehend the material.

Example 2

As a person who relies on captions for synchronized media,
I want the characters in the captions to be consistent with the language of the media
so that I can understand the media content.

What should you do?

Add a language attribute to the content that is not in the main language defined for the page.

How do you do it?

Look up an appropriate language code for the content language used. If the content is in Spanish, then the human language should be identified as Spanish (es) by the lang attribute on the html element specific to the content.