WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Multilingual Web Accessibility Testing Approach

for

From: tim.harshbarger
Date: Aug 10, 2023 9:19AM

There are some accessibility issues which can only be tested if the tester understands the language of the content. Optimally, the tester should have a fluency with the language that is similar to the people who will be using the content.

Testing is going to be less effective, the less fluent the tester is.

To me, that means using automated translations of content will be less effective. How much less is going to depend on how good the automated translations are.

Personally, I think I would only want to test using automated testing if I had absolutely no other options available. Even then, I would want to advise whoever received my report that I had relied on automated translations which may have impacted the results of the testing.

Others may have more experience testing this way and may have different opinions than myself.

Thanks,
Tim