The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2024 - 14

Accessibility
is what we do
in the physical
and digital
environment
to help
everyone
succeed.
Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines (WCAG), published
by the Web Accessibility
Initiative of the World Wide
Web Consortium, the main
international standards
organization for the
online community. These
guidelines consist of a vast
body of rules that can be
organized into four general
accessibility principles.
When you produce your
translation or interpret for
others, consider these four
categories when accounting
for digital accessibility:
y Perceivable: Is my audience
able to consume my spoken
or written work in different
ways to accommodate
their needs? For example,
an individual who is hard
of hearing reading closed
captions when watching a
movie, or a person who
is blind listening to the
audiobook version of a
translated classic.
y Operable: Is my audience
able to navigate through
the document, recording, or
other digital output using
a mouse, keyboard, voice
control, or other devices?
y Understandable: Is
my audience able to
comprehend the meaning
of translated or interpreted
content, including
localized digital assets,
movies, books, etc.?
y Robust: Does my content
work across different
technologies (desktop,
laptop, iPad, mobile) and
for different assistive
technologies like screen
readers or navigation tools?
It may seem like an
impossibly complex task
to connect your work as a
translator or interpreter
14 The ATA Chronicle | March/April 2024
to these four WCAG
accessibility principles, but
it's simpler than you think,
especially when you focus
on written and interactive
content separately.
Written Digital Content
Accessibility Best Practices:
y Use the simplest language
appropriate to your content
and audience.
y Use white space to improve
readability.
y Use a clear document
structure: group your
content into paragraphs
with clear headings so
it's easy to read and
understand for anyone. A
great short video to watch
on this subject is " Web
Accessibility Perspectives -
Understandable Content. "
y Use built-in titles, subtitles,
and heading styles.
y Organize the content using
bulleted and numbered lists.
y Add alt text for images.
y Insert tables when tabular
data is used, not for
formatting paragraphs.
y Use color to enhance the
meaning and pay close
attention to color contrast
to ensure the foreground
color is visible on the
background color. This
color contrast tool will help
you determine that.
y Use a built-in accessibility
checker like the Microsoft
version in Word,
PowerPoint, Outlook,
Excel, and OneNote, or
research if the tool you're
using has one.
For more information about
written content accessibility,
watch Web Accessibility
Perspectives Videos.
Accessibility Best Practices
when Communicating
Virtually: The following
checklist offered by the
Zoom video communications
platform will guide you to a
more inclusive experience
as you host or attend online
meetings, including when
you interpret online.
Before the meeting:
y Reduce background noises
by configuring audio settings.
y Add your full name and role
to your image by changing
your name on Zoom. In large
gatherings, this helps others
understand the expertise
you bring to the meeting.
y Choose a simple, static
virtual background. Avoid
video backgrounds with
rapid motion or flashing
to avoid triggering
photosensitive reactions
in others. If showing
your actual room in
the background, avoid
displaying ceiling fans or
objects that move or blink
distractively. Consider
using a blurred background.
During the meeting:
y Stay on mute if not talking
(as a host, you have
the option to mute all
attendees before starting).
y Speak clearly and face the
camera to help those who
are lip reading.
y As a host, act as a tour
guide and describe
online meeting features
that will be used (e.g.,
closed captioning, chat,
Q&A, annotations, and
reactions).
y Set expectations for being
on camera. For example,
some participants may
prefer not to turn on
the video due to their
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