The translation and localization of strategic e-Learning courses can help to improve employee loyalty and make for a stable corporate culture and working environment, beyond their primary function which is, of course, professional development. However, implementing such knowledge across a wide variety of cultures, languages, countries, and target audiences can be a daunting task.
Nonetheless, when equipped with the proper tools and knowledge-base, you can develop successful e-Learning courses, translated and localized into multiple languages, and at a fraction of the cost you may be expecting. You are also likely to achieve an even greater return on your investment.
Below we explore the 6 essential elements to consider when localizing and translating e-Learning courses.
1. A professional e-Learning course demands a professional translation provider.
To deliver a valuable learning experience to your audience, it’s best to partner with a professional language services company who is familiar with e-Learning and has experience with the industry-leading e-Learning platforms and tools. This requires someone who has in-depth knowledge of the cultural norms and backgrounds of your target audience and the ability to customize and translate the content for your learners.
For example, if learning courses require voice-over (VO) translation, you should be confident in your provider’s VO experience and resources. Before hand, you may want to ask your provider questions such as: How is the voice talent chosen? Will they be providing voice samples? Be sure to specify the type of voice your course requires, such as male or female, a particular regional dialect or accent, etc. The delivery of the voice-over files is important, too. You should discuss: How will the files be delivered? In what format? Will they deliver split files according to in the script? How will the final files need to be delivered? Do the files need to be SCORMed?
2. You get what you pay for.
As the saying goes: if it feels too-good-to-be-true, it probably is. While it’s easy for budget restrictions to get the best of you, be wary of vendors who provide a quote with exceptionally low pricing. Technical translation is a complex, labor-intensive job that requires subject matter experts, top-notch quality assurance, localization engineers, project managers, and much more. Short cuts can be a serious risk in the translation and localization of e-Learning materials.
Furthermore, be cautious about a translation and localization provider who provides you a quote for your project without asking to examine your source files. Without thoroughly reviewing the content, format, and back-end coding, it is not possible to accurately assess the number of man-hours necessary to complete the technical aspects of the project, which could end up leading to spiraling last-minute costs that you weren’t anticipating. Just as you should be thorough in your selection of a language services provider, your language services provider should be thorough and detailed in their analysis of your project.
That being said, your language services provider should always be up-front and transparent with all of the costs before any work begins. Keep an eye out for services that make claims along the lines of “cost is subject to change upon completion of project.” Proper translation and localization require a tremendous amount of testing, engineering, and tweaking to ensure a successful project. Both you and your provider should be aware of the time and money you are both investing before getting to work, so taking the time to formulate a detailed Statement of Work (SOW) is critical.
3. Hands on experience.
Translation solutions require an experienced project manager who understands the nuances of the technical and document translation process and can effectively manage the workflow to speed up implementation, maximize the impact of your investment, and reduce your overall costs. Because this will be unique to your company and the material you are translating, be sure to consider and properly allocate the time needed for your subject matter experts and translation vendor to discuss any style changes or wording that may need to be altered to fit the company’s agenda.
4. Avoid miscommunication with a terminology base.
A company terminology base provides the words and phrasing that is unique to your company. When starting to work with a language services provider, a terminology base will help you to hit the ground running. Because no two companies are the same, neither will their terminology bases be identical. Be sure to consider the words, jargon, acronyms, and phrases unique to your marketing materials, branding, and overall content strategy. Enlisting help from your HR or marketing departments would be helpful in creating this guide for your translation provider.
It is also important to note that any reputable professional language services company will use a Translation Memory (TM) to track past work, content repetitions, and preferred terminology. Therefore, always be sure that your translation work is being incorporated into a TM database, which will not only help make the translation and localization process more efficient and consistent, but can also save you significantly on costs associated with updates to your translations in the future.
5. Consistency is key.
It is important to find a language services provider that will provide a consistent style and learns your company’s specific terminology and jargon. Jumping from one provider to another will cause your learning material to lack in continuity. You also want to avoid any provider who does not keep a consistent team staffed on your projects. In the world of e-Learning, consistent translations provide consistent results.
6. Think beyond the general translation.
While certain sayings may be completely familiar to some audiences, others simply will not know what you are referring to. You may be translating from English into Spanish, but what type of Spanish do you need? North American? Central American? South American? European? Is the material going to be used in Barcelona? You might need Catalan instead of Spanish! Knowing all of the sub-audiences to the market you are targeting will provide a better understanding to every member of your audience. Also, if there are any images in your courses, should they also be changed or replaced in the localized version of your courses so that the audience can better identify with the material? These are the types of details that you must consider before translating and localizing your e-Learning materials, and these are all questions that your language services provider should be asking you.
At Translation Source, we use proven methodologies to identify, localize, translate, and develop critical international e-Learning training materials and courses that enhances employees’ core skills and foster their professional development. To get started with yours, please contact us at (800) 413-7838 of info@translation-source.com, and we will be happy to assist you!
