It’s very common nowadays that companies are incorporating offices and branches in different countries to manage their operations worldwide. International companies have found that having employees from different countries with different languages places put a responsibility over their shoulders to ensure that everyone understands the company’s mission, values and objectives. So, companies are starting to invest more in designing courses for their international employees. Besides, research shows that employees learn better while studying in their native languages. However, translating the course content into other languages will not achieve the perfect results, as content should be optimized according to the respective culture of the country where the employees are located. And this is what we mean by “Elearning Localization”
What are the Benefits?
Research shows that in today’s world, merely translating content is not sufficient for an audience anymore. Whether it’s a new market group or new employees, they would like to see more of a commitment on the company’s part. Plus, localizing your e-learning content comes with bonuses for your company.
· Cutting Costs
To develop a single module and then localize it according to your employees’ country is better than creating a course for each country. By doing this, you will save time and money and will also ensure the message of your company is consistent among all employees.
· Consistency
Localizing a single training module for your company will ensure that there is no miscommunication with regard to the company’s policy.
· Brand Identity
It’s essential to translate your courses into different languages, but what really makes a difference when you localize your content to fit the different cultures and values of your employees? By doing this, you will gain the respect of your employees and your customers as well.
Now that you have a better understanding of what it means to localize your e-learning material, here are the seven key elements for you to take into consideration to guarantee a successful venture into future target markets.
1. Know Your Audience
You have to consider the target audience who will read and study the localized content to make sure that it will fit them well. While localizing the content, you have to consider such aspects as education, colors, age, gender, and cultural background. All these factors will have a strong impact on the final product.
2. Neutral Territory
Though most learning material is created generally in English, you’re expected to avoid using idiomatic expressions, colloquies, or references to poetry and literature. Also, leave enough text space for different languages; for example, the Arabic language is written from right to left and a sentence in English may take double space typed in German.
3. Let the Professionals Handle It
To hire a professional translation agency that can work wonders for your material since a professional agency will have in-house translators that are subject-matter experts in a wide array of fields.
4. A Picture Speaks Louder Than Words
When choosing graphics or pictures for your project, you have to ensure that you’re using pictures that might not be considered offensive to your target audience. For example, a picture of a wine bottle would be great for France, but the use of the same bottle could offend users in the Middle East.
5. Testing Your Audience
Always test your localized content with a small audience in the targeted region. The feedback you receive will help you to enhance your final product.
6. Create a Mobile Buzz
Think of this as a soft launch for your material, as the feedback provided by the audience will tell you if the product is being implemented properly and if it’s accessible by multiple platforms.
7. The Right Tools
Using the proper software (Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate) when creating your e-learning material will allow for easy access to the extraction of text when localizing.
Since 2010 LatinoBridge has been the actual bridge for Latin American. We are the key to Latin American’s doing business with the world and letting the world communicate directly with Latin America. Our mission is to bridge the cultural gap by providing top-quality translation services to various sectors such as:
· Technology and Telecommunications
· Education and E-Learning
· Marketing and Promotion
· Consumer Electronics
At LatinoBridge all our linguistic experts are of native origin, therefore making them not only fluent in both Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese but also they truly understand the culture behind the language. The assignments we take upon ourselves have a complete customer-centric approach, making you the person in charge. The team at LatinoBridge makes a conscious effort to streamline every step of your project by ensuring thorough and effective communication. Our previous clientele list includes a panel of major global brands including: Google, Apple, Amazon.com, Toyota, and Honda, to name a few.
Regardless of the size of your project, we at LatinoBridge are here for your translation needs. Whether it is the localization of your website or mobile app, making a software user-friendly for the target audience, or simply getting a budget report transcribed for the office team, trust LatinoBridge to get the job done effectively every time. To get started contact our sales team now.
