A default language must be set for each web page so that it can be programmatically identified. This helps assistive technologies to convey the information to their users in different modalities.
Table of Contents
Official Requirements
Success Criterion 3.1.1 Language of Page (Level A): The default human language of each Web page can be programmatically determined.
Why is it required?
Websites having default language set for each page will help screen readers to load correct accents and pronunciations for the web page. It will also help users who are accessing your website from other regions of the world.
How do we fix it?
- Make sure that all web pages have lang attribute set to them
- Set specific language tokens such as en-CA for Canadian English
- In the case of a web page having 2 languages, the lang attribute is set for the language forming the majority of the content
Mistakes to avoid
- The default language is not set for the web page
- The default language is set for the webpage but it is incorrect
Reference
