This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung
Accessibility
How do abbreviations on a website become understandable?
GDPR, BGBl., zd., ÖNORM, VAT-IdNr.: Those who do not know the abbreviation do not understand the sentence, and read-out programs often read it as letter salad. Criterion 3.1.4 of level AAA requires that each abbreviation is written out or explained: on the first occurrence in the text, via the element abbr with title, by link to an abbreviation directory or in a glossary.
What the Criterion Requires
For each abbreviation, each acronym and each initial sequence, the advertised form or meaning is achievable. The easiest way is to tender for the first occurrence per page: “General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)”. The element abbr with the attribute title delivers the alert when crossed, but is difficult to reach for touch and keyboard and is therefore considered a weak solution alone. A directory to which each abbreviation links or a glossary also meets the criterion.
For whom this counts
People with learning disabilities, dyslexia, or memory problems may have poor memory of shortcuts; Every unexplained is a stumbling block. People with other first languages do not know the abbreviations of the country. Spell out aloud programs or try to speak the abbreviation as a word ("Ehnorm"). All three benefit from the fact that the abbreviation is advertised the first time. For authority texts with dozens of abbreviations per page, this is the difference between readable and unreadable.
This is how we deal with it
The measurement finds abbreviations on capital letter sequences and point patterns and checks whether there is an alert in brackets or an abbr title on the same page. This is easy to automate; the question of whether an abbreviation is established as a word (for example, “lorry”) is assessed by a person. The criterion belongs to the category AAA in knowledge.
Examples
Abbreviation without tendering
<p>Die UID steht auf dem Bescheid des BMF.</p><p>Die Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer (UID) steht auf dem Bescheid des Bundesministeriums für Finanzen (BMF).</p>
<p>Weitere Vorkommen: <abbr title="Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer">UID</abbr></p>Write out for each page on the first occurrence; abbr with title adds more occurrences.
- Write out each abbreviation on the first occurrence per page and put the abbreviation in brackets behind it.
- Record other occurrences with abbr and title, so that the middle of a long page is also explained.
- Keep an abbreviation directory as a page with definition list, linked from the foot area and from the glossary.
- Delete abbreviations that serve only for shortness; “For example” is as long as “e.g.” plus explanation.
