The way I look at alt text is a bit like the difference between translation and localization, where the goal is not translating word by word, rather making the thing you're translating *accessible* to people who speak a different language, or live in a different culture.

https://phrase.com/blog/posts/localization-isnt-just-about-translation/

Localization vs Translation: The Difference Explained | Phrase

Translation and localization are often confused to be the same. Learn the one big difference behind the pair of localization vs translation.

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Likewise, I don't think about describing or transcribing everything that's in a picture, rather, explaining the point of the picture, and why I'm sharing it.

#accessibility #a11y #AltText #ImageDescription

#AltText image descriptions

I see your point, Stefan, and with photos, it's usually not that difficult. But how about cartoons, or worse, PowerPoint slides, e.g., about climate change? If you really want to be inclusive, you need to rather fully describe them, which often takes 5-20 min. each.

@HistoPol Oh absolutely. Data visualizations can be particularly challenging.

And I actually like that kind of challenge myself, trying to show that it can be done, it just, as you said, takes an extra effort.

https://stefanbohacek.online/@stefan/tagged/dataviz

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Stefan Bohacek (@stefan@stefanbohacek.online)

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