Accessibility and translation
Cloudflare aims to create content that is accessible to all.
Accessibility
When creating content for any Cloudflare channel, be mindful of customers with disabilities (or temporary/situational limitations), including but not limited to auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual impairments. Content should be easily comprehensible for both the audience and a variety of assistive technologies (e.g. screen readers, speech recognition software, etc.).
Organize content with short, informative headers and subheaders. Whether you’re crafting a case study or a landing page, content should be well-organized and easy to navigate for all users. Large paragraphs and “walls of text” make content inaccessible and alienate readers.
Do not use directional language. Write with the assumption that readers will not be able to rely on the visual layout of a page. Not only does this ensure that those who are visually impaired will still be able to follow and understand written content, but it helps optimize content for mobile and desktop layout changes.
Include descriptive alt text for all images and infographics. he alt text tag is used in place of images for screen readers and in circumstances when the images or infographics cannot be loaded. Alt text should contextualize and summarize visual elements in a way that is clear and concise so that a visually impaired person can follow along with the content. Do not merely list SEO keywords. When using elaborate diagrams or infographics, a more detailed explanation may be required.
Create captions and transcripts for all video and audio content. Open (always visible) or closed captions should be offered for all video and audio-only content. Captions are designed for those who cannot hear audio content; they include all spoken content and non-speech sounds, like music, sound effects, and atmosphere noise. They are more inclusive than subtitles, which are designed to provide translated text for select portions of recorded audio.
Use descriptive link text instead of ambiguous hyperlinks. Clearly state what content is being linked in place of general link text that does not tell the customer what they are being directed to.
Translation
In order to maximize our reach to a global audience, we need to create content that is accessible and easy to translate.
Write in simple, clear sentences.
Avoid slang, idioms, and other cultural references. Specific cultural references will only resonate with a subset of our customers, so they should not be used in our content.
Avoid contractions wherever possible. Contractions are particular to English and difficult to translate.
Give definitions and contextual information. Never use a technical term or acronym without defining it. For terms that are not translatable, information and context matter.