DITA provides robust support for managing variations in content structure and layout for different languages in manufacturing documentation. This is essential to ensure that content is not only translated but also adapted to the specific needs of different regions and languages. Here, we discuss how DITA enables this and provide an example of DITA XML to illustrate the concept.

Conditional Text and Branching

DITA allows for conditional text and branching based on language. Organizations can define different structural elements and content variations for each language. For instance, a user manual may have specific safety regulations or legal requirements that need to be included or modified depending on the target language or region. Conditional processing instructions in DITA enable authors to specify which content is included for a particular language or excluded if it’s not relevant.

Localization Example:

Below is an example of DITA XML demonstrating the use of conditional text to support variations in content structure for different languages:

<topic id="user_manual">
  <title>User Manual</title>
  <content>
    <section id="safety_regulations">
      <title>Safety Regulations</title>
      <text>
        <ph outputclass="en">For English language: Safety regulations apply.</ph>
        <ph outputclass="fr">Pour la langue française : Les réglementations de sécurité s'appliquent.</ph>
      </text>
    </section>
  </content>
</topic>

In this example, the <ph> element is used with different output classes to provide language-specific content variations for safety regulations. For English, the English text is displayed, while for French, the French text is shown. This ensures that the content structure adapts to the needs of each language while maintaining the structural integrity of the documentation.