Planning Your Localized E-Learning Projects
In this age of globalization and multinational organizations, companies want to deliver online training that will reach worldwide audiences. The result is e-learning content that needs to be tailored specifically for each cultural group. If you’ve ever had to design or develop a multilingual e-learning course, you know firsthand that developing content for multiple languages can be a heavy lift. This is especially true if you haven’t put in place early the proper planning measures to make the process smooth and effective. This article will identify what you need to know up front (long before any development begins!) to effectively localize or tailor e-learning content for a variety of cultural audiences. Understand the concept of localization When it comes to getting a course out in multiple languages, it’s a common misconception that all you need to do is translate the written content. There’s often confusion about the differences between translation and localization. Translation is the process of translating text and words from one language to another without making any adaptations. Localization is the process of translating and adapting content for a specific culture. It often involves making changes not only to the text but also to imagery, tone, colors, currencies, and more, to account for cultural and regional differences. In many situations, simply translating the text in a course is not enough; you need to adapt the content in order for it to make sense for learners across cultural barriers. For example, let’s say you’re developing an e-learning course for a multinational delivery service. The course is for delivery staff based in the US and India on how to safely deliver packages on time. In addition to translating the text from English to Hindi, you need to adapt the content itself to take into account local driving and workplace safety laws. You should also consider updating the imagery to more accurately reflect the learner's home environment. For example, the American version of the course might show background images of busy streets in New York City. For the Indian version of the course, those could be swapped out with images of the streets of Mumbai. The two cities look very different and each have distinct architectural styles, roadways, and vehicles. Additionally, an image of a delivery vehicle in the American course might show a cube van or bicycle; the Indian version might be a tuk-tuk or a rickshaw. These changes in imagery make the course more meaningful and relevant to the learner. Plan for localization up front The key to a successful localized project is to plan every step of the localization process from the get-go. You want to keep your multicultural audience in mind from the beginning to avoid quality issues, save time, and ensure a smooth localization process. Things to consider when you’re in the project planning phase include: Identify the target markets and languages you want to localize for You need to determine early on which languages you’ll be localizing for. Keep in mind that even though your learners may speak the same language, you may need to create multiple courses to take into account regional differences. For example, a course developed in Spanish might not work for both Mexico and Spain. Why not? In addition to the many linguistic differences between Mexican and Iberic Spanish, there are regional differences that need to be considered, for example: different products, procedures, laws, technical standards, and currencies. Plan to build in one language first It’s a good idea to plan to design, develop, and deliver the course in one language BEFORE localizing the course into other languages. If you develop all of your courses in tandem, you’ll find yourself doing a lot of re-work. To illustrate: imagine a Subject Matter Expert asks you to change two paragraphs in your course. It’s a lot easier (and more cost effective!) to do it in one language than in five different languages. Once the first course is complete, you can save time by localizing your course into the other languages at the same time. Plan extra time for development and testing It might seem obvious, but you’re going to need more development time when you’re building a course in multiple languages. In addition to developing the course in the first language, you’ll need time to adapt it to every other language, which will include development, testing, and review steps. It’s a good idea to plan for the localization process by adding in extra development and testing time to your project plans and timelines. Find the right localization resources Having the right resources in place can make the translation and localization process run more efficiently and smoothly. Resources include the tools and the people you’ll bring on board for your localization process. Authoring tool When you’re going to be translating an e-learning course into multiple languages, it’s a good idea to investigate ahead of time what translation features and multilingual options are available within the authoring tool you’re using. For example, Articulate Storyline 360 offers the ability to export text for translation and then re-import it, saving lots of development time. This is good to know up front, so you can plan your project and allocate time and resources accordingly. Translators The quality and experience of your translation team will have a huge impact on the caliber of the final localized output. When it comes to working with translators, it helps to find translation professionals who have experience with your industry or subject matter. When the translation team has even a basic understanding of the content they are working with, it makes a huge difference in helping them ensure it all makes sense and works. In terms of hiring translators, your options are generally a professional agency or a single contractor or freelancer. They each come with their own set of pros and cons. Professional Agency Pros Cons They will handle all the project management for all the languages. They often offer voice-over professionals for all languages. They sometimes offer to do the translation directly in your tool of choice. The quality is often not as high. Because at a large agency the translators do not know you personally and are not that invested in your project. Also, you work with a variety of translators who may each have a slightly different style, which could be reflected in the final output. Freelancer/Contractor Pros Cons The quality tends to be higher, as usually freelancers need to provide a good service in order to maintain a good reputation, stay in business, and ensure repeated business and future contracts. It’s often cheaper to work directly with a translator because they don’t have high overhead costs to cover. Takes more time to find, hire, and manage freelancers than it does to work with an agency. They may not offer project management, voice-over services, and more. Voice-Over or Narration Professionals If your project includes narration, you’re going to need resources to narrate in a variety of languages. If you’re working with a localization agency, as noted above, they may offer narration or voice-over services. If not, you’ll need to recruit voice actors for each language. Keep in mind when you’re on the hunt for a voice actor that differences in local dialects and accents can make a huge difference to your learners. For example, Australian and New Zealand accents may sound similar to an outsider, but to the locals they are completely different! Finding the right voice for your project can take time, so account for this in your project plans, as well as the time required to record in multiple languages. QA Testers Testing and quality assurance review is an important part of creating an effective and high-quality multilingual course. During the project planning phase, identify resources for the testing and quality assurance phase of your course development. What should you look for in your testers? They should be proficient in both the original course language as well as the language they are testing, so they can compare both versions and ensure the message is consistent. The tester also needs to be a good writer, with strong spelling, punctuation, and grammar skills, so they can spot mistakes in the written content. These are just some of the things to consider when planning a localized e-learning project. Remember that up-front planning will eliminate a lot of headaches and help ensure a smoother process and better end result. What tips of your own do you have about planning for localized projects? Let me know in the comments! Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.How to Create One Storyline 360 Course with Multiple Languages
One of the most powerful benefits of e-learning is the ability to reach learners wherever they are—anywhere in the world. But that perk also presents an additional question: How do you create and manage e-learning content when your audience speaks different languages? Many organizations tackle this challenge by building multiple courses—one for each language they support. While that approach works, it often increases production time and costs. And it can lead to frustrating reporting headaches if you’re tracking completions. Instead, why not streamline development by creating one course for everyone? Thanks to the power of layers, variables, states, and triggers, you can quickly fulfill this linguistic feat of e-learning awesomeness all within a single Storyline 360 course! Not only that, Storyline 360 offers multiple ways to make this work. So let’s take a closer look at three of the most popular methods you can try. The Branching Method Many folks use the branching method to create different scenes in their projects, one for each language. When the course begins, learners choose from one of several language options. That choice then prompts a “jump to scene” trigger that directs them to the appropriate scene. Watch this short video to see how this method works. Pros: Branching is probably the simplest way to provide learners with language-specific content. This method also allows you to use layers and states to create a more interactive experience. Storyline 360 can now track multiple quizzes, so you can create an assessment for each language branch. No matter which one a learner takes, the course will send its completion data and results to your LMS. Cons: This approach may significantly increase your project’s file size if your course has a lot of audio, video, or animations. Branching is also useful for creating interactive stories, scenarios, and content. But using it for both content choices and supporting multiple languages can make development complex. In those situations, the two techniques below are often a better fit. The Layers Method When branching isn’t the best option, you can instead add layers on your course slides—one for each language you support. Similar to the previous process, learners select their preferred language at the start. But instead of branching to a different scene, this approach uses true/false variables and a few simple timeline triggers to show the appropriate layer throughout the course. Watch this short video to see how this method works. Pros: All your content is streamlined across one set of slides. You can use custom states to keep things from feeling too static. Cons: Typically, layers are used to add interactivity to your course. But this gets complicated when you also have multiple layers on each slide for different languages. Because of that, this method works best when you can create the course interactivity you need without additional layers. The States and Triggers Method The states and triggers technique is similar to the previous one, but it uses object states instead of layers to display content in each language. It begins much like the others—with learners choosing their preferred language on the title slide. Thanks to true/false variables and triggers, each slide in the course then automatically shows the correct object states. This one’s a bit easier to see than to explain, so here’s a video demonstrating how it works. Pros: Much like the layers approach, with states all your content is streamlined across one set of slides. This technique leaves your layers free, making it easier to create interactive content. Once you’ve built an object with all the correct states and triggers, it’s quick and easy to copy and paste and carry over the triggers. Cons: Adding translated text to object states can be a bit tedious. Changing object states means using more triggers as well—more than the other two methods. This approach tends to get in the way of using object states for other interactivity functions, such as adding a hover effect to your translated buttons. Additional Considerations Regardless of which method you choose, here are a few more things to keep in mind when creating a single Storyline 360 course with multiple languages: Course Player Labels: You can only choose one language for the course player text labels (the menu, the resources tab, the navigation buttons, etc.), which can be a challenge if some of your learners don’t understand that language. In those cases, try these workarounds: Create a navigation primer in your course for each language. Check out this article to see some examples and learn more. Skip the built-in course player menu altogether. Instead, build a custom menu on your slides with navigation buttons for each language your course supports. Check out this free download for some custom menu design inspiration. If you’re comfortable working with Javascript, this forum thread offers codes you can use to change the course player button labels on a slide-by-slide basis. Text Expansion: Content in one language may take up more or less layout space when translated to another. For instance, German copy can take up as much as 35% more space than the same information in English. So when planning your layout, base it around the lengthiest language to ensure each translation will fit. Production Schedule: Even with the help of these time-saving approaches, a multi-language course will always take more effort to create than a monolingual one. So make sure your timeline takes the additional steps into account. For example, consider the time it takes to get translations, hire voice talent for each language, and have fluent speakers review your translated storyboards and scripts. When Separate Files Are More Efficient: The methods in this article work best if you plan to include up to three languages in a single course. If you need to support more than three languages, separate project files may be the more efficient option. Summary Thanks to the flexibility of Storyline 360, you’ve got several options for creating content in multiple languages—each with its own strengths and drawbacks. So before you start building your course, consider which one is the best fit for you and your learners’ needs. Want to learn more about translating and localizing content? Browse through these articles for even more tips: Planning Your Localized E-Learning Projects Top 10 Writing Tips for E-Learning Localization The Hidden Project within Your Project: Translating Your E-Learning Materials Storyline 360: Translating Courses 4 Tips for Optimizing the Translation of Your Storyline 360 Courses Rise 360: Translate Your Course What’s your preferred method for working with multiple languages? Any tips or tricks you’d like to share with others? Leave them in a comment below. Want to try something you learned here but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.All About E-Learning Localization
General Articles Planning Your Localized E-Learning Projects 3 Key Partnerships for E-Learning Localization Success Choosing a Translation Partner for Your E-Learning Project Top 10 Writing Tips for E-Learning Localization Designing Your E-Learning Course Graphics with Localization in Mind QA Test Your Localized E-Learning Courses in 4 Easy Steps Storyline 360 Articles Storyline 360: Translating Courses How to Create One Storyline 360 Course with Multiple Languages 4 Tips for Optimizing the Translation of Your Storyline 360 Courses Rise 360 Articles Rise 360: Translate Your ContentTop 10 Writing Tips for E-Learning Localization
All too often, localization is an afterthought. Course designers go about their business as usual, and at the end of the project they send their course off to be localized. But successfully localizing e-learning content is about more than just translating the text. You’ve got to make sure the content resonates with people across cultures. Culture plays a huge role in our everyday lives, and yet we often aren’t aware of it. Our behaviors, assumptions, expectations, and definition of “normal” are all a product of our culture. Something that’s funny to an American could make no sense at all to a German and actually offend a French person. Or the real-life scenario you describe to help learners understand why the content is useful to them may be so far from their everyday lives that they tune out. To do localization right, you’ve got to keep your global audience in mind from the very beginning. And while it’s not possible to create content that’s 100 percent culture-neutral, being aware of cultural and linguistic differences can help you craft text that’s easier to localize. After all, no matter how skilled the translators, the translation quality can only be as good as the original text. But how do you write localization-friendly text? Here are some tips to get you started. 1. Be direct. Say what you mean and eliminate any unnecessary words. Write in the active voice and use adverbs and adjectives sparingly. Direct language is less ambiguous, making it easier to translate correctly. Say this: A car crushed your bicycle. Instead of this: Your bicycle has been damaged. 2. Keep it short and sweet. Your objective is to get your point across to learners, not to win an award for creative writing. Short, simple sentences are easier to understand and translate. Remember: if the translator misunderstands what you’ve written, your message will be lost in translation. Say this: Sarah is going to Boston for work. Afterward, she’ll visit her grandparents who live nearby. Instead of this: Sarah is going to visit her grandparents who live in Boston after her work meeting. 3. Favor basic vocabulary. This isn’t the time to show off your extensive knowledge of obscure words. Don’t use a fancy verb like “utilize” where a simple one like “use” will do. Jargon, slang, idioms, and colloquial expressions are often difficult or impossible to translate. Not to mention they make the content harder to understand, even for native speakers! Say this: Let me know when your bags are packed. Instead of this: Let me know when you get your ducks in a row. 4. Avoid humor, sarcasm, pop-culture references, and sports analogies. If you’ve never written content for localization before, you may not realize how often you reference pop culture or sports to get your point across. And I’m willing to bet you like to throw in some sarcasm or a pun here and there to make sure your audience is still paying attention. You may find it hard to eliminate such references from your writing entirely, but it’s absolutely essential if you plan to localize your content since they’re extremely difficult—sometimes even impossible—to translate. Say this: It’s your responsibility to do something now. Instead of this: The ball is in your court. 5. Use terms consistently. If the same term appears over and over in your content, it can be tempting to use synonyms to avoid repetition. However, when you’re writing for localization it’s best to always use the same term to avoid confusion and mistranslation. Say this: An authoring tool is a program that allows you to create multimedia projects, like e-learning courses. There are many different authoring tools on the market. Instead of this: An authoring tool is a program that allows you to create multimedia projects, like e-learning courses. There are many different authoring apps on the market. 6. Avoid phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs are one of hardest concepts for non-native English speakers to learn. What’s a phrasal verb? It’s a verb that’s made up of a main verb and an adverb and/or a preposition. For example: to look down on, to bring up, to fill out, etc. What makes these verbs particularly difficult for non-native English speakers is that the meaning can be dramatically different depending on the preposition or adverb that follows. For example, “to get back at” means “to retaliate” or “to get revenge,” but “to get back into” means “to become interested again.” These subtleties can also be hard for translators to grasp, so using them puts you at a higher risk of mistranslation. Whenever possible, replace phrasal verbs by an equivalent one-word verb to ensure correct translation. Say this: Did you submit your assignment? Instead of this: Did you hand in your assignment? 7. Use relative pronouns. English speakers often omit relative pronouns like “that” or “which” to shorten sentences without changing the meaning. For example, “The clothes he wore were new” means the same as “The clothes that he wore were new.” For translation purposes, it’s better to include relative pronouns, as they improve readability and comprehension. Say this: The clothes that I bought are hanging in the closet. Instead of this: The clothes I bought are hanging in the closet. 8. Avoid ambiguity. When you’re writing for localization, you want to make absolutely certain that there’s only one way to interpret your text. Any ambiguity in the source copy will only be exacerbated in the localized versions. For example, “I saw a woman on a mountain with binoculars” could mean either you saw a woman standing on a mountain who had binoculars or you were looking at a mountain through your binoculars and saw a woman. If your original message is unclear, the translated text could have a totally different meaning. Make sure your sentences are as precise as possible. One way to improve clarity is to replace pronouns (like “he” or “she”) with proper nouns. Say this: Jane isn’t coming over tonight. Tell Sarah that we’ll see Jane next week. Instead of this: Jane isn’t coming over tonight. Tell Sarah we’ll see her next week. (Who does the “her” in the second sentence refer to: Jane or Sarah? It’s unclear.) 9. Avoid phrases with too many consecutive nouns. Technical or compliance documentation often uses noun strings, or a series of nouns used one after the other without any prepositions to describe complex concepts. For example, “employee performance evaluation procedure” is a string of four nouns that together make up the name of a procedure used to evaluate employee performance. They’re intended to make things easier, but they usually end up doing just the opposite. Since there are no prepositions, readers are forced to infer the relationship between the words. Whenever possible, break noun strings into smaller units, adding in prepositions and verbs as necessary. Say this: One of this year’s top priorities is to improve employee relations. Instead of this: Our employee relations improvement program is one of this year’s top priorities. 10. Make a note of anything that needs to be adapted. Sometimes there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Things like currency, measurements, dates, times, temperatures, and phone numbers will be different depending on the language and country. Depending on the course subject, you may even run into some larger differences related to local customs and etiquette (for example, how sales calls are done) that need to be handled on a one-on-one basis. Make a list of any instances where specific adaptations are necessary and work with regional experts to adapt the content before sending it off for translation. When you’re creating courses for a global audience, a little bit of foresight goes a long way. Following these writing tips when designing your course will make the localization process easier when the time comes. What’s more, you’ll greatly improve the translation quality—leading to better learner comprehension and satisfaction. And isn’t that what everyone wants? Looking for more localization tips? Check out this great article on planning localized e-learning projects. Got some great localization advice to share with the community? Drop us a message below! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes often for the latest e-learning tips and tricks.Storyline 3: Enabling Right-to-Left Language Support
Text that appears on your Storyline 3 player defaults to a left-to-right orientation. However, you can enable right-to-left language support if you're using a right-to-left language, such as Hebrew or Arabic. Enabling Right-to-Left Orientation for Player Elements Enabling Right-to-Left Orientation for Slide Content Moving the Sidebar to the Right Side of Your Course Saving Player Changes Enabling Right-to-Left Orientation for Player Elements Here’s how to change the text direction for player elements, such as navigation buttons, sidebar tabs, and pop-up messages. First, make sure you're using a player font that supports right-to-left text, such as Arial Unicode MS or Microsoft Sans Serif. Next, select a language for your player text labels (such as Arabic or Hebrew) or customize your text labels in another language (such as Farsi or Urdu). Then, follow these steps: Go to the Home tab on the Storyline ribbon and click Player. When the Player Properties window appears, click Other on the ribbon. Use the Text is read from drop-down to select Right to Left. Click OK. Player elements switch positions for right-to-left languages to give learners a more intuitive experience. Enabling Right-to-Left Orientation on Slide Content To display your slide content in a right-to-left orientation, make sure the Right-to-Left Text Direction button is selected when you enter or edit text. You'll find the right-to-left button on the Home tab of the Storyline ribbon, but it'll only show if you have a right-to-left keyboard input language installed on your computer. Moving the Sidebar to the Right Side of Your Course If your course player includes a sidebar, you might also want to switch its location so it displays on the right side of your course. To make this change, click Features on the Player Properties ribbon and select On Right from the Sidebar drop-down list. Saving Player Changes When you click OK to close the Player Properties window, Storyline saves your player customizations in your project file. If you'd like to use the same customizations in other projects, click Current Player on the ribbon and choose Save. Enter a name for your custom player if you're prompted and click OK. To learn more about the Current Player options, see this user guide. You Might Also Want to Explore: Interactive Demo: Which Player Properties Are Supported in the Responsive Player?
