I'm wondering if anyone has any good ideas on how to build a course that delivers the content in multiple languages. I have a client that wants to build one course and deliver it to their global workforce (with one or two additional languages in addition to English). Is it just as simple as building a button(s) on the intro screen that will allow learners to choose their language? This would then branch to the language version of their choice. My only concern is that the couse would become too large in file size. Any other ideas would be appreciated! Thanks, Eric

Scale is a consideration. Smaller modules with few alternate languages might be perfectly manageable in a single Storyline file. In my experience, the easiest way to handle larger courses is to: 1) Build in a primary language. course-english.story 2) Use translation tools to build alternate packages. course-spanish.story, course-russian.story, course-german.story 3) Publish each course out to a separate SCORM module. Copy each module into a folder that clearly indicates the language. 4) Assemble them all into one SCO by creating a manifest (you could simply copy the manifest files from your primary publish) and pointing this manifest to launch an index.html file that links to a specific language. The LMS will launch this "Menu" and then the participant will receive a payload of the Storyline file in the selected language. There are a couple of advantages to this. First, it's actually a little easier to manage. You're working and publishing X number of separate simpler files than one monster. Second, it's less wasteful in bandwidth. Since it only loads a single published output instead of all of the languages. Plus each language can have a localized interface. This is described a bit here: https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/localization-strategy-and-variables#reply-190324

I built a demo at a conference once where I created a default shape that had states for each language. I added triggers to the shape to change state based on the language variable. Then whenever I wanted to add something to the slide, I duplicated the shape. This copied the triggers. Then I added my content. I could export the word doc and then add my localized content where needed. And everything was a lot easier. I didn't have to build a bunch of versions. I just had to add my translation to the pre-established states. This takes some forethought, but once you have it built, it works well. I'll do a quick tutorial to show how it works.

We've done some of these and have usually just set triggers at the beginning to choose your language which takes you to the scene in the proper language. It works pretty well and is simple enough to do though you could have some pretty large file sizes especially if you are using many images. I've toyed around with Gary's idea using variables on an opening chose your language screen and then having the timeline read the variable for each slide to show the proper layer. That only seems to work if your structure is fairly simple, i.e. you don't have a lot of layers being triggered by buttons or other interactions. Another way using variable is to create states for every text item/caption/title, etc., one state for each language on every slide. So you would have an English state for each item, a Spanish state, a Japanese state, etc. And then at the start of the timeline for each slide you'd have it read the language variable and then change the state of each text item to that state. Seems like a lot of work but could be done. I did it once to create a single, multi-language quiz and I think it worked out OK.

Here's a quick demo hopefully it makes sense. The main point is that you create a starter object with a state for each language. That object has a trigger for each language to change to the appropriate state. When you duplicate the object, the triggers get duplicated, too. You can save this as a localized starter slide in your templates. http://artco-temp.s3.amazonaws.com/tom/localize_idea.mp4

So, it turns out that there is a way to use Javascript to have the Back, Next, and Submit buttons in the player change their text labels on a screen-by-screen basis. This allows those button to be localized in a multi-language, single SCO course. It's pretty easy to do, though as I understand it it may only work in HTML5, not Flash. On whatever slide/screen you want to change the player's button labels: Create a trigger to "Execute Javascript" Use the desired Javascript (see the 3 scripts below) and replace INSERT HERE with the text you want to display on the button. Set the trigger to fire when "Timeline starts" Repeat this process on whatever screens you want to change the player's button text on. Copying and pasting the triggers saves a lot of time. AFTER you publish the project there is one more thing you need to do to ensure that the course opens in HTML5. Open the published course folder. Right click "imsmanifest.xml" and "Open with" Notepad or a similar program. Do not use Word. Find href="index_lms.html" and change it to href="index_lms_html5.html" Save the change. (File > Save) Javascript for changing the Previous button's label: di_y=document.getElementsByClassName("label prev"); // Find the elements for(var i = 0; i < di_y.length; i++){ di_y[i].innerText="INSERT HERE"; // Change the content} Javascript for changing the Next button's label: di_x=document.getElementsByClassName("label next"); // Find the elements for(var i = 0; i < di_x.length; i++){ di_x[i].innerText="INSERT HERE"; // Change the content} Javascript for changing the Submit button's label: di_z=document.getElementsByClassName("label submit"); // Find the elements for(var i = 0; i < di_z.length; i++){ di_z[i].innerText="INSERT HERE"; // Change the content} I've attached an image of what the Javascript looks like for a screen where the Next and Back button labels have been changed to "SIG" and "ANT" respectively.

Building Multiple Language Versions in One Course?

LeslieMcKerchie
Staff
4 years ago
Hi James,

You can certainly change the language of the resume pop-up. This is within the player text labels:

Customizing the Text Labels

You can only have one player per course though, so I'm interested to hear how others in the community have handled this custom design.
- JamesBonney-6ec
  Community Member
  4 years ago
  Hi Leslie, thank you. Yes I knew about that option, but you can't change it based on a variable within the story can you to alternate between english and arabic?
RenGomez
Staff
4 years ago
Hi James,

Thanks for the follow-up! The text labels are set at the global level for the course player, and a variable can't change that option.

This discussion covers similar challenges you're facing and may be worth reaching out to for further insight!

Add an option to select language
RenGomez
Staff
4 years ago
Hi Nicole,

You're correct! It's not possible to import several languages as different states throughout your course.

You'll have to add your translations to pre-established states, as Tom suggests. I hope this helps!
LoicBENARD
Community Member
4 years ago
Hi all,

I have a different approach. I think each module should be designed for 1 language, to set the default player language, navigation bar etc, and designed in a storyline file.

The solution is to let each module communicate with the LMS.

But before launching a module, it is not forbidden to create a page in html, which offers the possibility of choosing its language, then to launch the chosen module.

The trick, is to use the imsmanifest.xml file, and to redirect it with the html page, of choice of the language.

I hope this approach will give some ideas.

Regards
NicoleMueller-5
Community Member
4 years ago
Dear Articulate Team,

we have been buying such a Language-setting landing page as a Scorm Format from a vendor. So basically it is a Mutliscormpackage, where there is every language in there. User arrives to language site-->chooses language-->jump to correct Scorm-->at the end LMS gets signal that the course is done.

So this is a WORKAROUND. As Articulate is the biggest DIY-Elearning program, you have to start working on that issue - big time. Community is asking for that since 8 years!!! Nothing has changed, this disussion goes on and on and on. I have seen a vendor with automatic build in translation mode. Only because they only have basic inteactivity functions (yet!) I have not changed to this vendor. Especially big companies like I am working in with more than 30 countries involved will be lost soon for you -as soon as a vendor invents something with multilanguage approach and translation possibilities.

So PLEASE Articulate do something - NOW.

Thanks a lot,

Nicole
MarkWelcome
Community Member
3 years ago
Hi Nicole -

Couldn't agree more. Can I ask the vendor you are buying the landing page workaround from? Is it a packaged solution or a custom piece they did for you? We run into this all the time when clients want to add languages and then get upset when they are in multiple SCOs.

Thanks!

Mark
JeffreyRiley-9e
Community Member
2 years ago
Alex, if you go back one page in the comments Tom has a video http://artco-temp.s3.amazonaws.com/tom/localize_idea.mp4.

I am still struggling with this as my client cannot have individual courses for the LMS to count them as one course. I looked a previous answers especially one about having mutliple SCORMs that you combine into one file. Have not tried that. This year my client included a half hour video that made the file almost a Gigabyte in size.

The issue I ran into was the client wanted the feedback slides in the individual languages and that is another challenge.
JeffreyRiley-9e
Community Member
2 years ago
Tom, thanks for the update. I like this idea and will experiment with the examples I have from a project I just completed.

The biggest issue I faced was getting the quiz feedback layers to be in the same language as the text. I had English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese and the client wanted the feedback slides in those languages.

Would this work for that issue? My client provided the translations as they were very specific about wording. The Spanish and Chinese were very different than Google Translate so I left that up to them. I just copied and pasted.

It will take a few weeks for me to do this but I will report back what worked.