language selection in CSS validator

Hello Richard, Felix, my favorite i18n experts :)

I have a small question regarding how to best advertize the  
multilingual content of the CSS validator.

Right now the tool is entirely translated in a number of languages,  
but it's only language-negotiated, with no language-specific link  
whatsoever. Bad, just bad.
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

For the next version of the tool, which has seen a little redesign, a  
lot of documentation update, and an excruciating effort in  
translation, I want to make the multilingual content more prominent.  
Still language-negotiated, but with speific linking too.

The first step was to have a link in the menu at the bottom of e.g
http://qa-dev.w3.org:8001/css-validator/
linking to
http://qa-dev.w3.org:8001/css-validator/languages.html
which then lists the available languages, and links to info on how to  
set up lang neg in browsers (on the i18n website ;) ).

Pros: links to info on how to set up browser once and for all
Cons: not a usual location for language selection, inconvenient for  
documents within the documentation tree


The second step was more conventional, see e.g the top right corner of
http://qa-dev.w3.org:8001/css-validator/documentation.html.en
(yes I know the links are 404. The translated docs are there, but I  
didn't get jigsaw to index them yet)

Pros: usual location, easy to switch language on each page
Cons: not teaching users to set up their browser


I'm now thinking of going with the second route, but keep a link to  
"languages" at the bottom of the home page, hoping that some people  
will at least follow the link and learn to set up their browser to  
send the proper accept-language headers. Does that sound like a good  
idea to you, and in sync with good practices for multilingual sites?

(further/contrary) ideas welcome.

Thanks,
olivier
-- 
olivier Thereaux - W3C - http://www.w3.org/People/olivier/
W3C Open Source Software: http://www.w3.org/Status

Received on Monday, 13 November 2006 07:28:56 UTC