Embedded Files
Set Language Preferences
Set Language Preferences
Why this matters
Why this matters
Setting the language preference in a Word document is crucial for accessibility because it ensures screen readers and other assistive technologies can correctly pronounce and interpret the text—especially in multilingual documents. This supports users with disabilities and anyone who benefits from clear, accurate text-to-speech.
Before
Before
Language not set for Spanish — screen reader mispronounces: “The lab starts at ten A.M. Bienvenidos a la clase de biologia.”
After
After
Spanish language set — the screen reader reads more naturally: “The lab starts at ten a.m. ¡Bienvenidos a la clase de biología!”
WCAG 2.1 AA Guidance
WCAG 2.1 AA Guidance
Success Criterion 3.1.1 – Language of Page (A): Specify the default language of the document or page.
Success Criterion 3.1.2 – Language of Parts (AA): Identify the language for any passages in a different language.
How to fix in Microsoft Word
How to fix in Microsoft Word
For the entire document: go to File → Options → Language. Under Office authoring languages, add your language if needed and set it as Preferred.
For selected text or passages: on the Review tab, choose Language → Set Proofing Language, pick the correct language, and select OK. Use this for quotes, terms, or paragraphs in another language.
Optional: check Do not check spelling or grammar only for code snippets or names that shouldn’t be spell-checked.
Save the file to commit the language settings
Also consider
PowerPoint: Select text → Review → Language → Set Proofing Language.
Web pages/Canvas: set the page language with lang="en" (and apply lang on spans for foreign phrases).
PDF (Acrobat): File → Properties → Advanced (or Initial View in some versions) → set the Language; and tag spans with different languages when needed.
💡 Accessibility Tip: For multilingual documents, mark short passages with the correct language (e.g., span lang="es" in HTML) and set your authoring languages in Word so screen readers apply the right pronunciation.
Page updated
Report abuse