Can DITA facilitate variations in content structure and layout for different languages in film documentation?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

DITA provides robust support for managing variations in content structure and layout for different languages in film documentation, ensuring that localized versions maintain consistency with the source content. This capability is essential for delivering a seamless and culturally relevant viewing experience to global audiences.

Conditional Text

One of the key features of DITA is the ability to use conditional text. This feature allows authors to specify conditions for text elements, making it possible to include or exclude content based on language, region, or other criteria. For example, different images or descriptions can be displayed based on the target language, ensuring that the content is linguistically and culturally appropriate for each audience.

Localization Attributes

DITA allows authors to use attributes to define language-specific information within the content. For instance, the “xml:lang” attribute can be added to elements to indicate the language of a particular section. This information can be leveraged by localization tools to apply language-specific formatting, fonts, or other styling preferences, ensuring that the layout and structure align with language-specific conventions.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA facilitates variations in content structure and layout for different languages:


<topic id="localized_scene">
  <title>Localized Scene</title>
  <body>
    <section>
      <title xml_lang="en">English Title</title>
      <title xml_lang="fr">Titre en français</title>
    </section>
    <p xml_lang="en">English content...</p>
    <p xml_lang="fr">Contenu en français...</p>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, the “xml:lang” attribute is used to define language-specific titles and content within the same topic, allowing for variations in structure and layout based on the target language.