Translating WAI Resources

Ways to contribute

You can contribute to WAI translations in many ways:

Providing video captions/subtitles
This is the easiest way to start contributing, especially if you are not technical.
Translating a WAI resource
You are welcome to provide a translation for educational resources on WAI website (web pages with a URL that begins with www.w3.org/WAI). It is best if you are comfortable editing a file with code.
Reviewing WAI resources translations
You can help spot issues in translations before publication, even if you are not technical or do not know the translated language.
Creating a WCAG Unofficial translation
You can create an unofficial translation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) after following a light process. Unofficial translations are not hosted on W3C website nor endorsed by W3C.
Creating a WCAG Authorized translation
You can develop an Authorized translation of WCAG that will be published on W3C website. It involves a formal process, coordination with stakeholder organizations, and a thorough review.

We encourage you to keep up on translations work by subscribing to the WAI Translations mailing list.

Process

All contributions must go through the following main steps before publication. These steps are described in more detail in the specific process of each type of translation. Additional steps may also be necessary for some documents.

1. Intent to translate

Before starting a translation, verify that you are willing to contribute under the Translation agreement.

Then, you must ask and receive permission from W3C. It generally involves sending an email to a mailing list, or opening a GitHub issue in the relevant repository.

2. Translation

It involves the following steps:

To avoid overlapping work:

3. Review

All translations are reviewed before they are published.

Additional information

Translator background

We prefer translators to be:

Translation Agreement

By submitting a translation, you agree:

Translations can include:

Cannot include:

This policy is based on Internationalization Links, which provides some background.

Updating Resources

When the English version of a resource is substantively updated, we inform translators what has changed, and request that translators update their translation. If original translators do not respond before we need the update, we will invite others to update the translation.

In some cases, we will add the updated English to the translation while awaiting an update. If the changes are subtantial, the translation may be removed until an updated version is provided.

W3C Translations Information

More information is available in W3C Translations and in W3C Intellectual Rights FAQ, particularly under the questions starting with May I translate a W3C specification into another language?.

WAI Translations Mailing List

You can see past messages from the WAI Translations List Archives.

There is also a broader W3C Translators list. To subscribe: e-mail to w3c-translators-request@w3.org with subject: subscribe, archive: W3C Translators List Archives.

TR & Authorized W3C Translations

Web pages at URIs that begin with www.w3.org/TR/ (for “Technical Report”) follow the process described in W3C Translations.

Most translations are informative and unofficial. In cases where standards translations are meant for official purposes, they may be developed as Authorized W3C Translations according to the Policy for Authorized W3C Translations. Generally only completed W3C Recommendations and Working Group Notes are candidates for Authorized W3C Translations, including the WAI guidelines. The authorized translations policy is designed to ensure transparency and community accountability in the development of authorized translations under the oversight of W3C.

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