How is content localization and translation managed in DITA for medical documentation?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Managing content localization and translation in DITA for medical documentation is essential to make healthcare information accessible to diverse audiences in different languages. DITA provides a structured approach to handle this process efficiently. Localization and translation involve adapting the content, including text, images, and multimedia, to suit the linguistic, cultural, and regulatory requirements of target audiences.

DITA supports content localization through the use of specialized elements and attributes that indicate the language of specific content. For instance, the xml:lang attribute can be used to specify the language of a specific element. This attribute can be applied to text, paragraphs, or even entire topics to indicate the language used. Content creators can also use elements like foreign to wrap content that needs translation, and ph for placeholder text that needs localization.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA content can be marked for localization and translation. In this DITA topic, a paragraph is marked with the xml:lang attribute to specify the language:

<topic>
  <title>Medical Equipment Introduction</title>
  <body>
    <p>Medical equipment such as <foreign xml_lang="fr-FR">l'équipement médical</foreign> is essential in healthcare.</p>
  </body>
</topic>

By utilizing DITA’s capabilities to indicate language, healthcare organizations can streamline the localization and translation process, making medical documentation accessible to a global audience while maintaining consistency and compliance with local regulations.