• Success Criterion 3.1.1
  • Conformance level A

PDF Document Published With No Language Metadata Set

3.1.1 — Language of Page

Scenario

Setting

A ride-hailing app's trip booking screen

What’s wrong

PDFs without the /Lang document entry.

Example 

% PDF document catalog, from a generated trip receipt
1 0 obj
<< /Type /Catalog
   /Pages 2 0 R
>>
endobj
% No /Lang entry present

Why it matters

A rider downloading their trip receipt as a PDF gets no language metadata, so screen readers reading the receipt fall back to a default voice for fare breakdowns and dates.

How to test

Open the PDF's document properties: if there's no /Lang entry, screen readers can't determine the correct pronunciation language.

How to fix

Set /Lang in the PDF generation library's document settings, matching the language actually used in the receipt content.

1 0 obj
<< /Type /Catalog
   /Lang (en-US)
   /Pages 2 0 R
>>
endobj

Outcome

A rider reviewing a fare dispute hears the receipt read clearly in the right language.

Who is affected

Screen reader users who need to verify a fare or dispute a charge rely on the receipt PDF being read in the correct language and accent.

Learn more

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