Multiple languages cause problems for a screen reader user

In this video sequence the visual shows a screen capture of the Beijing Olympics website as the user browses. In the bottom right hand corner there is a small video image of the users head and shoulders as they look at the web page.

The user starts of browsing a page in English, when she selects the link she is taken to a page in Chinese without any warning of the change. JAWs reads out the Chinese characters, the results is a meaningless string of letters and numbers. There is no audio equivalent to the change a sighted user would have instantly recognised.

H: Not all that clear

J: Link order

H: Link order

H: So that is definitely where you have got to go to order

H: Absolutely definitely

K: Ok

K: Do you want to go through to the next page, that’s great.

J: [Screen reader reading out page very quickly]

H: Ah-ha, I think yes.

J: [Screen reader reading our numeric figures]

H: 800 point 00

H: Yeah, the Yen.

H: Do they use the Yen in China?

H: I suppose they must do.

J: [screen reader]

K: So what’s happening here?

J: [screen reader]

H: They’re asking me...

H: Let’s see what page I’m on.

J: [screen reader]

H: They’re asking me a question

J: [screen reader]

H: I don’t know

J: [screen reader]

H: Zero?

J: [screen reader]

H: I don’t know if that’s a number of the ticket?

J: Chinese, Chinese

H: It’s a shame.

J: Chinese...ticket master logo...

H: Ticket master logo

J: Blank, Chinese, 29

H: Chinese 29

H: Now, I really don’t know what that means.

H: It’s like a question because of the inflection in JAWS’s voice.

H: The inflection in JAWS’s voice is a question.

K: Right

J: One world one dream

H: One world one dream, is that it’s logo?

J: Blank, Chinese, link English

J: Blank, Chinese, Link, Link, Link....

J: Link English

H: Link English, now I wonder if I would get on better if I...

J: [screen reader]

H: Now I’m just going down with the arrow really to see what it says

J: [screen reader]

H: I know about Ticket Master

J: [screen reader]

H: So that might make it easier.