Bilingual Web Design

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Bilingual Web Design
Matt Mac Cárthaigh Fios Feasa DCU Lecturer
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Bilingual Web Design

• Good design and bilingual websites
• How to structure the site
• Switching languages in the middle
• Equality issues

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Good Design

• Good design is suitable for the target
• It is not designed to suit the designer
• It is directed at the user / the customer
• In the case of bilingualism, directed at two
  groups, differentiated by language
• Bilingual web design is an effort to serve the
  linguistic needs and preferences of customers
• This is especially important for minority
  languages, where it is an equality issue
• Yish large strong languages like English
• Xish minority or marginalised or threatened like
  Irish

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Bilingual Design

• The basic idea is to provide the text to the user
  in the users choice of language
• Irish speakers should see text in Irish, English
  speakers in English, Swahili speakers in Swahili
• To do this effectively, the two languages need to
  be separated
• Mixing the languages on one page is confusing and
  serves neither groups interests
• Two languages on one page halves the space
  available for content
• There are other linguistically defined groups who
  may be customers, and who may need a different
  approach
• Language learners
• Foreigners with an interest in language
• Non-speakers connected to a language (parents of
  Gaelscoil students)

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Ways to Separate Languages1. Mixed Text

• This approach is generally deprecated
• The Xish text is in the way of Yish speakers, and
  confusing for them, as they dont understand it
• The Yish text interferes with (bilingual) Xish
  speakers use of their own language
• Using colour, font, italics, or positioning to
  separate languages inevitably creates inequality
• This approach is sometimes used for idelogical
  reasons By God, theyre gonna see it in Irish
  whether they like it or not.
• Good design is aimed at serving customers, not
  controlling them
• Examples
• PanuNet
• Áras Chrónáin
• Scoileanna Kaia Puni

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Ways to Separate Languages 2. Parallel Text

• This approach is somewhat more satisfactory the
  two languages are clearly separated
• But they are still on one page, with associated
  disadvantages
• This approach can be suitable in certain cases
• When there is very little content
• When language learners are the users
• When the language itself is the subject matter
• Examples
• Cwmni Iaith
• Scéalta Karuk
• Kualono

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Ways to Separate Languages3. Two Subsites

• The most common approach on small sites
• In the absence of large resources, the most
  satisfactory approach
• Structured around two subsites, mirroring each
  other
• A splash screen at the beginning gives users a
  language choice (and maybe an intro to the topic
  or owner, but nothing else)
• There is a facility on each page to switch to the
  other language
• Examples
• Bratacha na hÉireann
• Bons Matins
• GeoNative
• Roinn na Gaeltachta
• Maori Language Commission
• FCJ Sisters
• Foras na Gaeilge

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Ways to Separate Languages 4. Two Sites

• In this approach, there are two whole sites
  paralleling each other
• The biggest difference is that there are two URLs
• This improves equality, as even the URL is in the
  users choice of language
• It also obviates explicit language choice users
  who select an Xish URL get content in Xish
  automatically
• Disadvantage It is more costly and difficult to
  maintain two mirrored sites with identical
  content
• Examples
• Welsh Joint Education Committeewww.cbac.co.uk/
  / www.wjec.co.uk/
• Welsh Land Registrywww.cofrestrfatir.gov.uk/ /
  www.landregistry.gov.uk/

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Ways to Separate Languages 5. Sites Based on a
Database

• In this approach, the actual web pages are
  created dynamically
• They are based on a database, and its the
  database, not the website, which is maintained
• It is easier to manage data with a database, and
  to guarantee that content is updated in both
  languages at the same time
• Such web pages are usually recognisable by the
  URL, which has stuff in it like .asp or .jsp
  or ?langga
• Disadvantage This is even more high-end than
  mirrored websites, and requires higher skill and
  resource levels
• Examples
• Dell
• Sacred Space
• Comhairle Chontae Phort Láirge
• Eleka
• Rialtas na Beilge

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Switching Languages

• In a bilingual or multilingual site, there should
  be a facility to switch languages (after the
  initial choice)
• That facility should have the following
  properties
• It should be on every page
• It should always be in the same place on the page
• It should be by itself, separated from the
  content menu
• National flags should not be used (the user is
  choosing a language, not a country or a state)
• If users switch languages, they shouldnt be
  forced to switch content they should end up
  looking at the same page in the other language,
  not the home page
• Examples
• Béaloideas Éireann
• Eleka
• Embassy of Ireland in Berlin
• Egans House Hotel

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Equality

• Bilingual web design should be about treating
  linguistically differentiated groups with equal
  dignity
• The design in itself is not enough to achieve
  that equality, though
• With two sites, for instance, its easy to keep
  one site updated and ignore the other
• Equality should be respected at every level of
  the website URLs, menus, content, standard of
  writing, comprehensibility, etc.

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Equality Issues

• Yish is chosen as default by the designer,
  without giving the user a choice The Government
  of Ireland
• Only some documents are available in Xish
  Department of Education
• A choice is given to the user, but no substantial
  content is available in Xish, only some buttons
  and headings Department of Education
• In the case where a particular document is only
  available in Yish, the matter is not well
  handled Department of the Taoiseach (not badly
  handled)
• (It should be noted that this problem is not
  well handled in general, nor has there been
  sufficient discussion to say with any certainty
  what would consititute good practice, but the
  approach on the Belgium governments site was
  great)

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Equality Issues

• The site doesnt remember that the user chose
  Xish, and reverts to Yish Oasis
• Users who change languages end up somewhere else
  in the site, such as the home page The Irish
  Embassy in Berlin
• The URL (or page title) are in Xish, but the
  content is all in Yish Comhairle
• There is a high standard of writing in Yish, but
  a poor standard in Xish Fabula Software
• The text in Xish is a direct translation of the
  Yish, even where the content is irrelevant An
  tÚdarás (this is very well handled)

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Conclusion

• Making your website bilingual is all about
  serving your customers needs and preferences. In
  the case of a language like Irish, its an
  equality issue. There are various ways to
  separate out the languages which one is best for
  you depends on your customers and your resources.
  Be sure to include a way to switch languages as
  well as a way to choose one. After being so
  careful to design the website appropriately, be
  sure to keep it that way.