In her book “The Good Company," Laurie Bassi found that the best single predictor of a company’s ability to outperform its competitors is the amount of investment made in training and developing employees.
The remarkable growth of remote training since the term “eLearning” was coined in 1999 has been driven by globalisation, the internet, the proliferation of smart phones, and myriad tools to create and manage remote-learning courses.
If your organisation is facing the additional challenge of delivering effective distance learning and training across time zones, cultures, and languages, here are a few key concepts to keep in mind:
1. Learning and comprehension is far more likely when content is delivered in the learner’s native language. This should come as no surprise – just imagine trying to learn new concepts in a language that you don’t fully understand. If you want to make sure critical concepts are fully understood, make sure the learner is getting content in their native language.
Work with a professional language services provider that is well versed in eLearning translation and localisation and has learned the tips and pitfalls that come from years of experience.
2. The trifecta of localisation is “Cost, Time, and Quality.” Impacting one will directly affect the others. Striking the right balance is critical for success and is best achieved through consultation with a professional language services provider.
3. The primary drivers of eLearning localisation costs are word count, localisation engineering, and voice over. Decisions made during concept, design, and storyboard will directly impact processes, cost, and efficacy downstream. A solid understanding of the localisation process, as well as a trusted partner with localisation expertise, can avoid costly mistakes and add significant value.
4. Oftentimes costly delays are caused by a client-side subject-matter expert’s in-country review process. Managing this process and the reviewers is vital for a smooth and timely delivery.
5. Cultural sensitivity is essential when dealing with a global audience. Avoid humor, slang, or idioms that may not translate into other languages and cultures, such as ‘speak of the devil’, ‘wrap your head around that,’ ‘pulling somebody’s leg’, etc.
6. Avoid or define acronyms by fully writing out the acronym so that it is understood when used later in the module. Alternatively, just avoid using acronyms altogether, as they are very difficult to replicate in another language, much less multiple languages.
7. Allow ample white space for text expansion or subtitles if video is used. Assume that text will expand by 20-30 percent when translating from English. This will impact formatting and layout, especially for bi-directional languages that read right to left or languages with stricter rules around hyphenations and line breaks.
8. Video is a powerful and popular medium for training but presents a whole set of challenges on its own. If video is a preferred medium at your company, make sure the concepts are universal and that locations, characters, currencies, etc., are relatable to a global audience and not exclusive to any group. Using an on-screen speaker - the voice behind your content can make or break audience engagement. Find out how to choose between AI or human voice-over here.
9. Leave space for subtitling if the module is not too text heavy and avoid putting important visuals in the bottom part of the screen. Limit or avoid the use of complex animations of any on-screen text and make sure any graphics or images have live editable text.
10. Finally, avoid the need for transcription by saving a copy of the script for translation. Recognising the possibilities and respecting the challenges of globalised training will empower organisations and talent from all cultures to work together and become greater than the sum of their parts.
LanguageLine® Can Help
Get tailored eLearning translation support that keeps your courses accurate, engaging, and ready for every learner — anywhere. Let’s explore what makes sense for your eLearning project, contact your LanguageLine Business Account Manager or reach out to us at enquiries@languageline.co.uk to get started.