Handling glossary and definition links during content localization in DITA requires careful consideration to ensure that terminology remains consistent and relevant in multiple languages. DITA’s modular structure and the use of keys and conrefs play a pivotal role in managing glossary and definition links across localized content. Keys are essential for maintaining references to glossary terms, while conrefs enable the reuse of definitions. This approach ensures that glossary and definition links remain accurate and contextually appropriate in localized versions of DITA content.

For example, let’s consider a scenario where you have a glossary term in your DITA document, and you want to maintain this link in a localized version. You can create a glossary map containing all the localized terms and their corresponding keys. In your localized topics, you can then use these keys to reference the glossary terms. Here’s an example of how this can be achieved:

<!-- Original Glossary Map (glossary.ditamap) -->
<map>
  <title>English Glossary</title>
  <topicref href="definitions/term1.dita">
    <keydef keys="term1" format="dita" scope="local"/>
  </topicref>
  <topicref href="definitions/term2.dita">
    <keydef keys="term2" format="dita" scope="local"/>
  </topicref>
  <!-- Add more terms as needed -->
</map>

<!-- Localized Glossary Map (glossary-fr.ditamap) -->
<map>
  <title>French Glossary</title>
  <topicref href="definitions/term1-fr.dita">
    <keydef keys="term1" format="dita" scope="local"/>
  </topicref>
  <topicref href="definitions/term2-fr.dita">
    <keydef keys="term2" format="dita" scope="local"/>
  </topicref>
  <!-- Add more localized terms as needed -->
</map>

In the above example, we have an original glossary map (glossary.ditamap) and a localized glossary map (glossary-fr.ditamap) for French content. Each glossary map contains references to glossary terms with associated keys. When you create localized versions of your topics, you can reference the glossary terms using these keys, ensuring that the glossary and definition links are maintained accurately during content localization.