Yes, DITA can support multilingual documentation, allowing the creation of content in multiple languages within a single DITA project. This capability enables organizations to efficiently manage and deliver documentation to a global audience while maintaining consistency and reusability.

DITA supports multilingual documentation through its key elements and mechanisms for multilingual support:

• xml:lang Attribute: DITA allows the use of the “xml:lang” attribute at the element level to specify the language of specific content. This attribute ensures that content is marked with the appropriate language code, facilitating accurate translation.
• Localization Keys: Localization keys, or “l10n keys,” serve as placeholders for translatable text. This allows the separation of source content from translated content, aiding in organizing and referencing content for translation purposes.
• Conditional Processing: Conditional processing mechanisms in DITA can be used to include or exclude content based on the target language.
• Translation Memory Integration: Integration with translation memory (TM) tools helps in identifying and reusing previously translated segments, maintaining consistency across languages, and reducing translation costs.

Example: A software user manual needs to be available in English and Spanish. In a DITA project, each topic can include the “xml:lang” attribute to specify the language of its content, such as:

<p xml_lang="en-US">This is an English sentence.</p>

<p xml_lang="es-ES">Esta es una oración en español.</p>

Localization keys can be used to manage and control translatable text:

<p>This product is available in <ph keyref="color-options"/>.</p>

Conditional processing can be employed to include language-specific content:

    
<topicref href="user-manual.dita" format="dita" scope="local">
  <props>
    <prop action="flag" att="xml:lang" value="en-US" />
  </props>
</topicref>

<topicref href="user-manual.dita" format="dita" scope="local">
  <props>
    <prop action="flag" att="xml:lang" value="es-ES" />
  </props>
</topicref>