If you are creating XML documents that will be translated, there are things you should have built into your DTD to enable localisation to go smoothly and efficiently. This paper looks at some of the key issues.

The paper refers to standard topics such as character encoding and locale declarations, but also covers topics such as implementation of emphasis and style conventions, handling of text fragments, use of text in attribute values, and the need for an element like HTML's SPAN. In addition, other topics which have traditionally been associated with translation of user interface messages become applicable due to the nature of XML documents. These include the provision of designer's notes, identification of non-translatable text, and use of element ids for automatic translation of elements.

The paper assumes familiarity with XML and DTD concepts.