What is eLearning localization—and why does it matter?
eLearning localization is the process of adapting an existing course for a new audience, ensuring it reflects their language, learning style, and cultural touchstones. As learners, we are more engaged when presented with material that is both interesting and culturally relevant.
If your training material has not been localized, learners may focus more on understanding the words and cultural references than the concepts. Localization extends beyond mere translation; it ensures that imagery, formatting, cultural ideas, and even local learning preferences are tailored to the target audience.
Successful localization starts long before a word is translated. Here are 5 strategies to make your next eLearning localization project go smoothly:
Strategy 1 – Conduct Audience and Cultural Research
Identify regional learning preferences
Each culture has its own approach to learning, and what works in Los Angeles may not work in Tokyo. For example, American learners often prefer gamified learning that allows them to compete against one another; in other cultures, learners tend to prefer collaborating to achieve learning goals. You need to understand how your audience likes to learn.
Reflect cultural nuances in content and visuals
Successful content localization involves adapting your content to the learner’s culture, including visual elements. Not all colors, symbols, and images carry the same meaning across cultures. For example, a red octagon means “Stop” in the U.S., but in Japan, a stop sign is triangular.
When localizing eLearning, it is essential to have native speakers residing in the target country to adapt your content. They can also test the completed course, looking for linguistic and functional mistakes.
2. Use Simplified, Culturally Neutral Language
Avoid idioms, jargon, and local humor
The phrase “Monday-morning quarterback” comes from American football and would not be out of place in a business meeting in Chicago. But when creating an eLearning course that will be localized, this type of idiom should be avoided. The same is true of industry jargon, slang, and even jokes.
Create universally relatable examples
When choosing examples to illustrate a point, think about your target markets and find commonalities. If you need to refer to a sport when addressing learners in Spain and Morocco, football (soccer) will be a better choice than lacrosse.
3. Include Multimedia
Localize audio and video content effectively
If your course includes audio or video content, ensure it is accessible to all learners. Make content available in other languages through subtitles and voiceovers, depending on your timeline and budget.
You may also want to consider that visually impaired learners use screen readers, so they need localized alt text (for images) and transcripts (for videos).
4. Optimize UX and UI for Different Languages
Design for right-to-left (RTL) languages, too
Most languages —including English—read from left to right. However, languages such as Arabic read from right to left. Make sure that the user interface (UI) can accommodate right-to-left languages. Not only does the text need to read from right-to-left, but elements within the UI need to be mirrored to match the order in the original.
Prepare for text expansion
Not all languages take up the same amount of space. Languages such as French, German, and Spanish require up to 30% more space than English. For example, “log in” takes up six characters in English, but the German equivalent, Anmelden, needs eight. Make sure to leave space for text expansion across your UI, including buttons and dropdowns.
5. Choose the Right Translation and Localization Tools
AI-powered translation tools
AI-powered translation tools, from ChatGPT to DeepL, have made great strides over the past few years, and we expect that they will continue to improve rapidly.
However, translations produced by AI translation tools are imperfect. For one, they are only as good as the data they were trained on. For another, they are not always context sensitive—they may not recognize whether the standalone word “Back” refers to a button or a body part.
The quality of AI translation varies between language pairs. English <> Spanish translations are remarkably high-quality because of ample training data, while Swedish <> Korean translations may lag behind.
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Best localization software for eLearning translation
The best software for localizing your eLearning content depends on the platform that you are already using for your courses. Most learning management systems, such as Articulate Storyline or Adobe Learning Manager, allow you to export translatable content within your course. From there, it can be translated with CAT tools such as SDL Trados or MemoQ. These tools allow you to use human translation AI plugins or a combination of the two.
Conclusion
A successful eLearning localization project relies on a deep understanding of your target audience and how they learn best.
Every element of your eLearning course should be adapted to nurture both engagement and retention of the information. This includes multimedia elements such as imagery, videos, and transcripts of audio content. But you may also need to adapt cultural references, colors, or even the UI to meet local needs.
While translation is not synonymous with localization, it is usually a crucial step in the process. AI-powered translation tools may accelerate the process and reduce costs, but a human touch is still essential for handling jargon, regulatory language, and critical industry-specific nuances.
