The success of any eLearning localization project hinges on asking the right questions. A few well-placed questions to your translation provider can help you significantly reduce eLearning development costs and increase the effectiveness of your localized learning content.
Many companies find it challenging to localize their eLearning content for their international markets. A major roadblock is often the perceived cost of localization.
Compared to conventional instructor-led training, eLearning is often cheaper and more scalable. But it can also be expensive if you don't create the content efficiently. These problems multiply when you are translating the content into multiple languages.
At our recent Rubric roundtable discussion, experts from our team discussed various aspects of eLearning localization. This included ways that companies can reduce the cost of of their localization.
Here are 7 questions you can ask yourself to help you design eLearning content with localization mind and optimize your costs…
1. Is our eLearning content created for scalability?
The first question to ask is whether your existing eLearning content is designed with scalability in mind.
Often, companies try to localize courses that were previously only created in English, with no thought to translation or localization. This often leads to content that is costly and inefficient to localize.
Irene De Pedro, Project Manager at Rubric, says:
"Elearning localization is about scalability. Normally, in an English-only course, you might use all sorts of different features and quizzes and animations and interactions. But when you have to scale that up to 5 or 50 languages, the cost increases."
2. Do we have the original files for the content?
Much of the cost associated with eLearning localization can come from the associated engineering tasks, not the translation itself.
One task that often causes unnecessary costs is re-engineering course files. You can remove this cost entirely by always working from the original (or "open") files. For example, when localizing video, work with the editable video project files. For the course content itself, work with the files from your eLearning authoring tool.
Irene says:
"The first question I always ask clients is if they have the open files. Sometimes companies might take a screenshot of their website, for example, but that's not a localizable asset. You will need an open file or have an alternative for specific markets. This defines the engineering cost down the line."
3. Which content do we need to localize and which can we leave?
Not all of your eLearning content necessarily needs to be localized. You should only localize content that will actually help you achieve the strategic business and learning goals of your content.
Part of working with a good localization provider is the help they can give you to identify which pieces of content are really necessary to localize.
Irene says:
"The big question is: do you want it localized or not? Is it something that is essential for the learning outcome? Do you need that specific screenshot to be localized? If the answer is no, then you can just leave those assets untouched. And if the answer is yes, then what are the parameters you need?"
4. What is causing the roadblocks in our eLearning localization?
If you have localized your eLearning content before, you might have noticed similar problems and roadblocks cropping up again and again.
You can use this information and experience to identify which aspects of your localization process need to be improved.
Irene says:
"In our experience, the design is usually causing the problems. For example, you might keep hitting roadblocks when planning for the launch of a new market. It's important to think about what is critical. Simple decisions can have a big impact on engineering costs down the line, like font, text orientation, and animations."
5. Where are we wasting effort?
Wasted effort almost always translates into unnecessary costs. An example of wasted effort could be if you are spending money to overdub the audio for a video that all of your learners will watch on mute with subtitles.
By identifying where you are wasting effort, you can start to really cut down your eLearning development costs.
Irene suggests:
"Minimize multimedia to avoid increasing your unnecessary cost. You can often localize the content in a different way. If you do need to use the multimedia assets, have you created them in the best way to be localized effectively? For example, with videos, rather than having a talking head video, you could have an animation with a script."
6. What are the repeatable content elements?
Sometimes, people try to avoid repetition in their eLearning content because they worry learners will become bored. However, repetition can be both useful for learners – to help them learn the ideas – and reduce the cost of localization.
You will save money whenever you reuse a piece of localized content instead of translating it anew.
Rebecca Metcalf, Rubric's Global Content Business Analyst, gives an example from one of our clients:
"We did a set of modules for a client that were about 60 lessons. At the start and end of each lesson, the narrator spoke to the learners and said "Welcome to Lesson Number 1." At the end they would say "Now you've completed lesson 42…""Each of these audio clips had to be revoiced in a number of different languages. This all cost money. We worked with the client to make the content generic. So, instead of saying the lesson number, they would just say "In this lesson." We could record it only once and reuse the audio in every module."
7. How future proof is our eLearning content?
There are many new technologies coming to eLearning all the time. Some of the newest additions include virtual reality, augmented reality, microlearning, and social learning.
When you design your content to accommodate future technologies, you can save money on localization for years to come.
Rebecca says:
"Elearning is a rapidly changing landscape and there are a lot of different components involved. There's written content, audio, video, multimedia quizzes, games. There can be a tendency to get a bit carried away with some of the features that are available."You need to think of it from a localization perspective. All your design and authoring decisions should consider multiple markets and the future."
As these questions show, the key to reducing costs for eLearning development is to think strategically about your learning content.
Design your eLearning courses with scalability in mind. This will probably change how you author the original content, which is a good thing. Content that is inherently scalable will be more future proof and can continue to save you money long into the future.
For more tips on reducing localization costs, watch the team's discussion about eLearning cost.