• Success Criterion 3.1.2
  • Conformance level AA

Language Switcher Link With No Language Tag of Its Own

3.1.2 — Language of Parts

Scenario

Setting

An e-book reader's library page

What’s wrong

Language-switcher links written in their own language ("Deutsch", "日本語") without their own lang attributes.

Example 

<nav class="language-switcher">
  <a href="/de">Deutsch</a>
  <a href="/ja">日本語</a>
  <a href="/en">English</a>
</nav>

Why it matters

A screen reader announces 'Deutsch' and the Japanese link text using the page's base English voice, mangling the very labels a reader needs to identify their language.

How to test

Inspect language-switcher links (e.g., 'Deutsch', '日本語'): check whether each carries its own lang attribute matching the language it's written in.

How to fix

Tag each language-switcher link with the language it names, not the page's current language.

<nav class="language-switcher">
  <a href="/de" lang="de">Deutsch</a>
  <a href="/ja" lang="ja">日本語</a>
  <a href="/en" lang="en">English</a>
</nav>

Outcome

A reader browsing the library hears each language option announced clearly in its own voice and picks the right one.

Who is affected

Screen reader users choosing their preferred reading language need each link's name pronounced correctly to recognize it at all.

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