We are excited to announce the preview release of dual labeling, ‘neutral ground truth’ (ngt) and additional language support. This new update to the AJAX Version 7.0 control allows you to create maps with labels in two different languages. This release also includes the ‘ngt’ language value that shows map labels in the native language of each country respectively. We have also added support for additional languages.
Now you can create a map that shows labels in two languages: primary language and secondary language. The primary language is used for map labels, the navigation control and directions when supported.
To create a map with dual labels using AJAX Version 7.0, you must specify two languages in the mkt parameter. For example, mkt=pl-pl,en-us will show map labels in Polish and English. You can also use a new custom culture ‘ngt’ to show map labels in the local language of the region. For example mkt=ngtwill show Russian map labels within Russia, Polish labels within Poland, and so on.
The example below displays map labels in both English-United States (en-us) and the local language:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ecn.dev.virtualearth.net/mapcontrol/mapcontrol.ashx?v=7.0&mkt=en-us,ngt"></script>
For travelling consumers, this map style is a great benefit, particularly in regions where a user may not know the local language. With dual labels, the map can show users their native language and the local language. Having labels in a primary and secondary language can help users better understand and navigate the region they are visiting while simplifying their travelling experience.
Documentation outlining this release is available on MSDN in the Localizing the Maptopic.
We have also added support for the following new languages:
- de-AT German-Austria
- de-CH German-Switzerland
- fr-CH French-Switzerland
- ko-KR Korean-Korea
- pl-PL Polish-Poland
- ru-RU Russian-Russia
- zh-HK Chinese-Hong Kong SAR
- zh-TW Chinese-Taiwan
- Bing Maps Team