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Posted by Gιrard Talbot on 04/11/07 20:23
Ikke wrote :
> Hi everybody,
>
> I'd like to set up a new site, which has to be multilingual (english, and
> my native language). However, the entire site will be written in html.
>
> Now I'd like to ask whether or not this is possible - I know it's possible
> to translate all the pages and use index-en.html and index-nl.html etc, or
> even use subdirectories, but I'm still faced with some problems.
>
> First, there is only one index.html - which language should I use here?
> Logic dictates that english is more popular than dutch, yet most of my
> visitors will be dutch.
>
Then choose dutch as the language to use for your index.html page. On
it, add a "English" or "English translation" link, clearly visible,
easily scannable, spottable, which will link to the English webpage,
index-en.html webpage. Something like:
<a hreflang="en" lang="en" href="index-en.html">English translation</a>
Also, use <link> to indicate alternate content in other language.
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="en" hreflang="en"
title="[Website title in English]">
"Alternate
Designates substitute versions for the document in which the link
occurs. When used together with the hreflang attribute, it implies a
translated version of the document."
http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-modularization/abstraction.html#s_common_attrtypes
HTML 4.01, section 12.3.3
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/links.html#h-12.3.3
"12.3.3 Links and search engines
Authors may use the LINK element to provide a variety of information to
search engines, including:
* Links to alternate versions of a document, written in another
human language."
W3C Quality Assurance tips for webmasters:
Use <link>s in your document
http://www.w3.org/QA/Tips/use-links
An example out of my practise:
http://www.gtalbot.org/NvuSection/GuideUtilisateurNvu/GuideNvuSection1.html
provides <link>s to Japanese and English translations.
""
> Second, is there a way to remember the language a user selected? I'm
> thinking cookies here - is it possible to use cookies without using
> JavaScript? And reading them? If I'm using JavaScript, I'll be limiting my
> audience a little, I'm afraid...
Use proper/best meta-tags (for searchability, best indexation by search
engines) and inter-link each of your translated webpages into the
correspondent/equivalent language.
Your best mean, tool and asset is good quality content in your webpages,
frequently updated, leading people to bookmark your site. Cookies is not
your #1 mean, tool. Do not worry too much on proper programming of
language-chosen-by-cookie issues: worry about content, adequate, good
usability of your site, accessibility of your webpage.
> Any ideas, thoughts, suggestions on this subject are very very welcome!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ikke
Some possible resources for you in dutch:
MozBrowser nl-be, Voor en door Mozilla gebruikers
http://www.mozbrowser.nl/
MozBrowser nl-be, Voor en door Mozilla gebruikers
http://www.mozbrowser.nl/forum/
Since you are going to develop a website, allow me to invite you to
consult this webpage, translated in your native language:
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/tech-evangelism/site/tech-letter-nl.html
and if you are a fan of mine, then visit
Bug 274256 β Site Evangelism letter needs to be revised
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=274256
or
Bug 360302 β Update Tech Evangelism email template letters
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=360302
as we may be needing your dutch translation capabilities one day :)
GΓ©rard
--
Using Web Standards in your Web Pages (Updated Dec. 2006)
http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Using_Web_Standards_in_your_Web_Pages
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