Preparing DITA code for localization

Learn how to prepare your DITA code for localization using the xml:lang and translate attributes.

Setting the language of topics and maps

It's a best practice to specify the language of your DITA files, even if you're not planning localization. To specify the language and country of a topic or map, set the xml:lang attribute of its root element:

<concept id="c_magic" xml:lang="en-US">

Tip: To set an attribute of an element in oXygen XML Editor, select the element, press Alt + Enter and type the name of the attribute you want to set.

Note: You should apply a new language code after translation.

Identifying content that you don't want to translate

To identify an element that you don't want to translate, set its translate attribute to "no":

<codeblock id="codeblock_spells" translate="no">
  let spellsLeft = 7;
</codeblock>