How to Build Digital Accessibility into Your Products and Services

May 9, 2024 | ATA Compass | | Client Assistance, Resources

Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day by eliminating linguistic barriers!

By Gosia Wheeler

May 16, 2024, marks the 13th Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Around the world, legal, medical, and scientific organizations along with governments, universities, and businesses will host events to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion.

Is your business doing its part? Read on to learn how your company can get involved and create accessible digital content.

Why is GAAD significant?

We share this planet with over 8 billion people, 16% of whom are people with disabilities limiting how they see, hear, move, speak, or learn. These disabilities can make it harder for them to consume digital content. GAAD serves as a global platform to raise awareness about digital accessibility and inclusion for this target group.

People also face an additional barrier when accessing digital content: language. Although there are currently more than 7,000 languages spoken around the world, the majority of online content is written in only one: English. If you sell your products or services internationally, you have a unique opportunity to provide digital access in your clients’ native languages, eliminating linguistic barriers and fostering increased engagement with your brand.

What is digital inclusion?

When business owners think about accessibility, they usually focus on the physical barriers like stairs or doors. But in the post-pandemic world, consumers spend more time than ever online – working, learning, connecting, and immersing themselves in the online entertainment. An online environment can have as many or more access barriers as a physical one. It is critical for business owners to understand where obstacles reside within their digital assets, as well as the legal ramifications of not removing them.

The United Nations defines digital inclusion as “equitable, meaningful, and safe access to use, lead, and design of digital technologies, services, and associated opportunities for everyone, everywhere.” A growing number of international laws and policies assert that access to digital content is a civil and human right, whether it is in the form of websites, music, movies, audiobooks, video games, or technology.

To that end, some businesses invest heavily in making their content accessible not only to reach wider markets but to fulfill legal and compliance requirements and reduce the risk of a lawsuit.

How to address digital accessibility barriers

The internationally recognized Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide a vast body of rules outlining how to ensure your company’s digital products and services fulfill the United Nation’s digital inclusion mandate. At the highest level, WCAG is organized into four general accessibility principles that can guide the way for online content creators:

Perceivable: Are my clients able to consume the spoken or written digital content in ways that fit their needs? For example, individuals who are hard of hearing benefit from watching a movie with subtitles in their native language. Similarly, those that are blind or low vision benefit from listening to an audio version of a translated book. Keep in mind that subtitles and audiobooks, just like other accessibility improvements, are broadly used by all consumers, not just those with disabilities.
Operable: Are my consumers able to navigate through the website, recording, or other digital output using a mouse, keyboard, voice control, or other navigation devices? No matter if you have a carpal tunnel, use a screen reader, or are holding a baby in one arm, you should be able to navigate and complete any task in the digital space.
Understandable: Are my clients able to comprehend the meaning of the original or translated content in localized digital assets, movies, books, etc.? It is important to use language that correctly captures the richness of cultural nuance and accommodates people of all ages and abilities – including those with cognitive disabilities or low literacy skills, speakers of English as a foreign language, or non-English speakers.
Robust: Does my content work across different platforms (desktop, laptop, tablets, mobile) and for different assistive technologies like screen readers or navigation tools?

The intersection of digital accessibility and language is good for business

If you are questioning whether investing in digital accessibility in your customers’ native languages is good for business, let me share a few convincing examples.

2023’s Super Bowl LVII featured a halftime show delivered by Rihanna in front of 123.4 million viewers across many digital platforms. However, there was another star performing alongside the music legend: Justina Miles, who interpreted Rhianna’s performance in American Sign Language (ASL), allowing deaf audience members to enjoy the halftime show in their own language. Watch the recording on X showing Rihanna on the left and Justina Miles on the right. Which side of the screen is your eye being drawn to, even if you don’t use ASL to communicate? Multiply this joyful experience by millions of viewers and you will understand the amount of positive publicity the NFL garnered based on the work of one unbelievably passionate ASL interpreter.
Netflix has been heavily investing in making TV shows and movies linguistically accessible by offering subtitles in 20 different languages. Translators must follow very detailed rules to convey the tone and story lines to ensure subtitles are accurate and relatable in every language. Their work is so complex and impressive that it has gleaned public praise online. It should come as no surprise, then, that Netflix’s shift to a more linguistically inclusive viewer experience is a contributing factor to the increased number of subscribers and revenue.
In July of 2022, NASA shared images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. They were visually stunning, revealing the universe far beyond our imagination. In the spirit of inclusion, NASA’s digital team partnered with professional linguists to skillfully craft alternative text (Alt Text) descriptions, allowing those dependent on screen reader technology, to visualize images in their minds. This NPR article, especially the 1-Minute Listen version at the top of the page, will give you goosebumps when you hear the alt text being read aloud. NASA’s accessible way of sharing its work received an enormous amount of positive publicity from all over the world, including the Center for Accessibility Australia, Assistive Technology Blog, and American Council of the Blind.
Disney+ offers a wide range of digital accessibility features, among them an audio description (AD) for the blind or visually impaired that describes what is shown on screen during video playback. My favorite short example comes from Frozen (Frozen – English Trailer with Audio Description). English is not the only language in which Disney+ offers its content. “Frozen” was translated into 41 languages, while “Moana” into 46, including Māori and Tahitian, to accurately and truthfully represent the cultures being showcased.
The popularity of audiobooks in any language has skyrocketed in recent years, not only to accommodate those with low/no vision or cognitive disabilities but to anyone who prefers to listen to a book while driving or walking. The New York Times reports that “audiobooks have become a lucrative format for publishers. Digital audiobooks grew more than 500% between 2013 and 2022, reaching $839 million in revenue. For certain genres, like self-help and celebrity memoirs, audio sales can match or exceed print sales.”
Following a substantial increase in the popularity of video games during the pandemic, there is a growing demand among players to have an authentic experience in their own language. Gaming companies are happy to oblige, as these efforts directly lead to expansion into new markets and higher profits. But as many companies learned, video game localization must be done accurately by professional linguists who are subject matter experts. Translation errors or cultural blunders result in bad publicity and client disconnect. Gaming companies that invest in digital inclusion see dramatic revenue increases. For instance, Tencent generated $7,442 million in revenue in Q3 2023, followed by Sony with $3,410 million.

Make your digital assets accessible

The examples above have one thing in common: companies investing in accessible digital content in their customers’ preferred languages are not only following the letter of the law but are also seeing very handsome returns on their investments.

No matter what product or service you deliver, ignoring linguistic digital accessibility or opting for an automated solution without human validation will negatively impact your bottom line and your company’s reputation.

How can translators and interpreters help you deliver digital accessibility?

To generate an accessible, inclusive, multilingual online experience for your clients, you need the human input of professional translators and interpreters. They truly understand the intricacies of target language expressions and idioms, local humor and sarcasm, and cultural nuances. Working with translation and interpreting professionals is your gateway to digital accessibility compliance.

To find and engage professional translators and interpreters:

Review the newly created guide located on the ATA Client Assistance page
Read The ATA Compass article titled “How to hire a translator: a quick and easy guide”
Visit American Translators Association (ATA) directory: http://3j.shandongzhongyu.com/directory/

About the Author

Gosia Wheeler is a Polish to English translator specializing in Technology, Digital Accessibility, and Digital Communication translation. She is a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and a certified Accessible Documents Specialist (ADS). She is also an active contributor to the TED Translators program creating Polish and English subtitles for TED Talks. The American Translators Association represents almost 9,000 translators and interpreters in more than 100 countries. To hire a translation or interpreting professional, please visit 3j.shandongzhongyu.com/directory.