Localization is a huge part of every e-Learning process. In order to gainfully reach a wide audience using e-Learning, they are several factors that would help guarantee a successful development process. While localization is one of these factors, it shouldn’t take over the entire process. To help you develop a successful eLearning localization project, here are the top 5 tips that would ensure you reach your goals.
Defining eLearning localization
E-Learning localization means the adaption of a learning process to suit a language and culture. The process makes a product adopt the cultures and ways of a particular geographic region.
For you to carry out a successful eLearning localization process, the language translation must go beyond peripheral translations. Here are the top 5 tips to make your e-learning localization succeed.
1. Adequate Planning
The first and most important part of carrying out a successful e-learning localization process is to have the right plan. A good plan would save you so much trouble, from poor efforts to unnecessary costs. The first point of action is to get a course structure that can easily blend across all geographical regions.
Do not go for course outlines designed for just a particular culture. It will be difficult to change or localize such course components to a different culture in the future. With a good plan, you can get through difficult phases without compromising on your end product.
2. Use Only Relevant Topics
While drawing up a course for e-Learning, it’s important that you only use relevant topics that would add value to your audience’s lives. Use only relevant scenarios that are relatable and appeal to the culture of your target audience. When you do this, you can easily relate to the audience, making your course valuable.
Using abstract topics that add little or no value to the subject topic would end up confusing the audience at the end. You should avoid filler content that may end up ruining your goal for the project. Thus, you have to put in a considerable amount of research to come up with quality content that would appeal to your audience.
3. Carefully Navigate Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural sensitivity can either make or break your localization project. Offensive remarks would not only make your work unprofessional but could come off as an insult to the target culture.
Hence, you must carry out a good research on the cultures involved and find out terms that are positively received in a country but would come off as offensive in another geographical region. Cultural sensitivity is one of the benefits of hiring a professional translator.
4. Set up A Proactive Support System
A proactive support system would go a long way to ensure your users get the right attention from any geographical region. Users would easily disembark from your e-Learning course when they feel they don’t get the right support.
Lack of support will also make your users feel they don’t get the right attention. Thus, you have to get a proactive support system like a dedicated forum or a detailed FAQ section on your website.
5. Work with Professional Translators
Another important tip that would help increase your success is by working with professional translators. While it’s easy to use a translation tool or other cheaper mediums to complete an e-Learning localization project, you are going to spend more trying to fix the errors that would abound in the future or even abandon the project in the end.
The woes of cutting corners when choosing a translator are numerous from confused learners to plenty of grammatical errors. Thus, it is important you only work with trained localization experts for your e-Learning localization projects.
Summing It Up
The following tips will help you set up a successful e-learning localization project. The key point is working with localization partners with the right experience. You can also get more materials and resources to help your audience learn better.
ECI remains one of the best localization partners that would help you with the processes of e-Learning localization. With offices scattered across the globe, we offer comprehensive localization support for over 130 languages and 260 locals. You can entrust us with your localization projects and have the right experts to work with you.