Elearning localization: 6 common mistakes that you should avoid

Now, more than ever before, companies are realizing the importance of helping their employees gain in skills and knowledge by investing in the appropriate training. E-learning has established itself as the ideal way for students and employees to gain access to new information from all around the world. Although the sector has seen tremendous growth on all continents, the North American market is considered the most mature. According to the Docebo study for 2017-2021, the United States is the global leader in adopting e-learning technology and services. In today's world, e-learning is the most accessible kind of education. Almost 67 percent of the worldwide population likes to learn via e-learning courses on smartphones or other devices. People want content to be delivered in their own language so as to understand better; they also expect content tailored to their regional learning style.

It is in such cases that the localization of e-learning content comes into play. The translation industry is critical to the localization of e-learning content. However, content producers and translators make a few frequent errors during the localization process, and these can be avoided so as to reach a larger audience with the material. Some of these blunders include:

1. Using free tools to minimize costs 

Each company's training budget is set in stone. However, decreasing expenses for creating this content and localizing it for employees in other countries will impact your training success and ROI. Investing in the development and localization of training content may appear complicated at first, but it has numerous long-term benefits. According to a study conducted by IBM, a company gains $30 worth of productivity for every $1 spent on online learning. With eLearning, companies are seeing added benefits not just in terms of return on investment (ROI) but also for their employees when compared to traditional, in- person training. The Research Institute of America found that eLearning can increase retention rates by 60%.

The message is clear: one should never cut corners on e-learning material development to save money. Each organization should determine whether to build their training course in-house or outsource it. The decision should be based on the amount of experience of the in-house team or the translation service provider and projected outcomes rather than just on cost.
This is one of the common blunders made by businesses, not just when it comes to e-learning development and localization but also when it comes to any new technology that needs to be applied. The temptation to choose the cheapest choice often proves to be counterproductive in the long run, so try to avoid falling into this trap.

2. Keeping it brief

It is typical for the target language to need more words to describe the same meaning as the source language. To accommodate the expanding material in the target language, it is critical to creating content with a 20% margin of error. It should not be the case that the translated material is excessively long and, as a result, boring to the readers.

3. Visuals in the presentation of e-learning content 

e-learning content providers often employ graphics in their presentations. They may have inserted text, making it difficult for the translator to localize. After that, the translator must add a new layer to the graphics with the translated text. The photo will also need to be retouched. Rather than wasting money on this process, provide the translator with editable graphic/photo files. You can also try reducing the amount of text in your graphics.

4. Ignoring cultural differences

Localization is based on a 50/50 split between language and culture. To make the information easy to understand for the intended audience, it is vital to consider the culture of the target language/region. There are specific colors, images, or symbols, for example, that are extremely important for learning in the source language. These may differ depending on the target language. The target audience may become bored if the translated material contains the same stories, examples, images, and symbols. It may not always provide context for the intended audience. As a result, keep cultural differences in mind when localizing.

5. Translation and localization can be perplexing

The mistake of conflating translation and localization is all too common. A translation is nothing more than a text being rendered in a new language. Only because the learners speak in their native dialect, does not mean that this will help them grasp it better. They may have difficulty absorbing the crucial principles, examples, movies, or photos because some of them might imply differently in their culture. As a result, a company must consider localization to provide their staff with practical in-depth training. All business components must be localized to the market in which the company's office operates. E-learning localization encompasses course translation and alterations to audio, video, graphics, and even colors to make them fit the target audience's cultural preferences. While translation allows learners to receive information in their native tongue, localization aids their comprehension of concepts and company values.

6. Taking Cultural Differences for Granted

A fundamental blunder is failing to investigate the cultural background and particularities of the region targeted by the e-learning course. Certain concepts, symbols, and images are helpful in English classes but could be insulting in another language. Naturally, you are not expected to be a cultural specialist in every place where your company has a presence. This is where the experience of e-learning localization experts come in, who are aware of these critical aspects and will assist your training in reaching its intended audience. The experts will ensure that you are mindful of the cultural differences in the area and do not commit something that might be offensive to your audience. 

The above considerations must be taken into account while creating and localizing any e-learning content. Avoiding these blunders will ensure that your target audience has a positive learning experience.

We at Lingual Consultancy provide solutions to e-learning translation in more than 70 languages to help you cross the language barrier and reach the global audience effectively.

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