Multi-Language Localization Skill
Purpose
Implement proper internationalization (i18n) and localization (l10n) for static websites supporting multiple languages.
Core Principles
1. Language Declaration
html
<!-- ✅ Always declare language --> <html lang="en"> <!-- For Swedish --> <html lang="sv"> <!-- For Arabic (RTL) --> <html lang="ar" dir="rtl">
2. File Structure
code
index.html (en - English, default) index_sv.html (sv - Swedish) index_da.html (da - Danish) index_no.html (no - Norwegian) index_fi.html (fi - Finnish) index_de.html (de - German) index_fr.html (fr - French) index_es.html (es - Spanish) index_nl.html (nl - Dutch) index_ar.html (ar - Arabic, RTL) index_he.html (he - Hebrew, RTL) index_ja.html (ja - Japanese) index_ko.html (ko - Korean) index_zh.html (zh - Chinese)
3. Language Switcher
html
<nav aria-label="Language selection">
<ul>
<li><a href="index.html" hreflang="en">English</a></li>
<li><a href="index_sv.html" hreflang="sv">Svenska</a></li>
<li><a href="index_ar.html" hreflang="ar">العربية</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
4. RTL Support
css
/* RTL-specific styles */
[dir="rtl"] .element {
text-align: right;
direction: rtl;
}
/* Use logical properties */
.element {
margin-inline-start: 1rem; /* Not margin-left */
padding-inline-end: 1rem; /* Not padding-right */
}
5. Cultural Considerations
- •Date formats (US: MM/DD/YYYY, EU: DD/MM/YYYY)
- •Number formats (1,000.00 vs 1.000,00)
- •Currency symbols
- •Text direction (LTR vs RTL)
- •Color meanings (cultural significance)
SEO Best Practices
Hreflang Tags
html
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/index.html"> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="sv" href="https://example.com/index_sv.html"> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/index.html">
Sitemap
xml
<url> <loc>https://example.com/index.html</loc> <xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="sv" href="https://example.com/index_sv.html"/> </url>
Testing
- •Native speaker review
- •RTL layout testing
- •Character encoding verification
- •Cultural appropriateness check
- •SEO validation (hreflang)
Remember
- •Native Speakers: Use professional translation
- •Cultural Context: Consider cultural differences
- •RTL Support: Test right-to-left languages
- •Consistent UX: Same experience across languages
- •SEO: Proper hreflang and sitemap