WCAG 2.1 SC 3.1.2: Language of Parts (Level AA)
3.1.2 Language of Parts (Level AA) — what it requires, a common failure example, and how to fix it. Part of WCAG 2.1's 3.1 Readable guideline under the Understandable principle.
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3.1.2 Language of Parts (Level AA)
Readable is about making the language of your content programmatically identifiable, so screen readers pronounce it correctly and translation/reading tools work as intended. Most sites clear the Level A bar here with a single HTML attribute; the AAA criteria go further, into content clarity, that most sites won’t target.
This page is educational technical reference material, not legal advice. Meeting WCAG 2.1 does not by itself determine legal compliance with the ADA or any other law — consult qualified counsel for legal risk questions.
Plain-language explanation: When a specific passage switches language from the rest of the page — a quoted review in French embedded in an English page, for instance — that passage needs its own lang attribute, so assistive tech can switch pronunciation mid-page.
Common failure: A multilingual e-commerce site embeds a customer testimonial in its original language without marking it, so a screen reader reads it using the page’s default-language pronunciation rules the whole way through.
Remediation: Wrap the foreign-language passage in an element with its own lang attribute, e.g. <span lang="fr">...</span>. Proper names, technical terms, and words that have become part of common vernacular in the page’s main language are exempt.
In this guideline — 3.1 Readable: 3.1.1 Language of Page (A) · 3.1.2 Language of Parts (AA) · 3.1.3 Unusual Words (AAA) · 3.1.4 Abbreviations (AAA) · 3.1.5 Reading Level (AAA) · 3.1.6 Pronunciation (AAA)
← Previous: 3.1.1 Language of Page (A) · Next: 3.1.3 Unusual Words (AAA) →
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This page is educational content about technical accessibility practice, not legal advice. Meeting WCAG 2.1 does not guarantee legal compliance with the ADA or any other law. Consult qualified counsel for legal risk questions.
This page was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by a person for accuracy before publication.