Ensuring that educational documentation is effectively adapted for different languages often involves accommodating variations in content structure and layout. DITA XML provides support for managing these variations while maintaining a coherent structure across languages. Here’s how educational organizations can utilize DITA for this purpose:

Conditional Text

DITA allows authors to mark sections of content as conditional, which can be displayed or hidden based on specific conditions. This feature is valuable for accommodating variations in content for different languages. For instance, if a certain concept is relevant in one language but not in another, authors can mark it as conditional, and the rendering process will adapt accordingly. This ensures that the content structure remains consistent while addressing language-specific differences.

Localization Attributes

Within DITA, it’s possible to use attributes to customize content based on language or regional requirements. For instance, different languages may read from right to left or have specific typography rules. Using DITA attributes, organizations can tailor content presentation to meet these language-specific needs. This approach helps maintain the integrity of the content structure while allowing for variations in layout and formatting.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA enables conditional text to handle content variations:

<topic id="localized_topic">
  <title>Localized Topic</title>
  <content>
    <par>English content</par>
    <par conkeyref="fr">French content</par>
  </content>

In this example, the content for the “Localized Topic” is marked with a condition key reference (“fr”) for French content. The structure of the topic remains consistent across languages, with variations handled through conditional text.