How do you leverage web standards and frameworks to support internationalization and localization?

1 Use Unicode and UTF-8

Unicode is a universal standard for encoding, representing, and processing text in any language. UTF-8 is a widely used and compatible encoding scheme that can handle any Unicode character. By using Unicode and UTF-8, you can ensure that your web content is consistent, interoperable, and accessible across platforms and devices. Make sure to declare your encoding in the HTML head, use the appropriate meta tags and HTTP headers, and validate your code for compliance.

2 Choose a suitable framework

Many web development frameworks provide built-in or easy-to-integrate features for internationalization and localization. For example, Django, Rails, Laravel, and Angular have modules or libraries that can help you manage translations, formats, locales, and messages. By choosing a suitable framework, you can save time and effort, follow best practices, and leverage existing resources and tools.

3 Separate content from code

One of the key principles of internationalization and localization is to separate content from code. This means that you should avoid hard-coding any text, labels, images, or other elements that may vary depending on the language or region. Instead, you should store them in external files, such as JSON, XML, or PO, and use placeholders, variables, or keys to reference them in your code. This way, you can easily update, edit, or add new content without modifying your code.

4 Support bidirectional text

Bidirectional text refers to text that can flow from left to right (LTR) or right to left (RTL), depending on the language or script. For example, Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian are RTL languages, while English, French, and Spanish are LTR languages. To support bidirectional text, you should use the dir attribute in HTML, the direction property in CSS, and the Bidi algorithm in JavaScript. You should also test your layout, design, and functionality for both directions and avoid assumptions or hard-coded values.

5 Use relative units and flexible layouts

Another challenge of internationalization and localization is to accommodate different text lengths, sizes, and alignments. For example, some languages may have longer or shorter words, sentences, or paragraphs than others. To avoid overflowing, overlapping, or breaking your web content, you should use relative units and flexible layouts. For example, you should use percentages, ems, or rems instead of pixels or points, and use grids, flexbox, or media queries instead of fixed widths or heights.

6 Test and review your web content

Finally, you should always test and review your web content for internationalization and localization. You should check for errors, inconsistencies, or inaccuracies in your encoding, translations, formats, messages, or images. You should also use tools such as browsers, validators, or translators to simulate different scenarios and environments. Moreover, you should solicit feedback from your target users or experts to ensure that your web content is culturally appropriate, relevant, and engaging.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?