A good learning management system (LMS) is a core part of your company's eLearning strategy. An LMS should provide you with features and tools to help you cater your learning content to a global audience.
The trouble with some LMSs is that they are not well suited to handling courses in multiple languages simultaneously, though they may work well for single-language eLearning.
How can you find an LMS that will integrate seamlessly with the processes of translation and localization?
With so many LMS platforms on the market, how can you choose the right one for your specific business needs?
A global LMS will need extra qualities and features. To ensure that you meet the needs of all your international learners, you need to pick your LMS platform wisely.
In this article, we explain what you should be looking for in an LMS and list the top LMS platforms for handling localized content…
What should you be looking for in a global LMS?
First, it's helpful to know what features and traits you should look for in an LMS when you're handling global content.
Not all LMS platforms are suited to all situations. For example, some target schools and academic institutions, whilst others are better suited to large international companies.
When you are looking for the best LMS for multilingual eLearning, here are a few qualities to look for:
- Manage content in multiple languages. — It's important that your LMS supports your chosen languages. For example, if Japan is one of your company's markets, the course and its titles should display in Japanese correctly.
- Elegantly serve different content to learners based on their location and language. — The LMS should be able to automatically detect the learner's preferences and allow them to update their language or location manually.
- Language or market-based reporting and analytics tools. — It should be easy to track learner progress across multiple languages and content types. Ideally, it should also be easy to compare progress in different markets.
- User-friendly in all languages. — It should be easy for learners to manage and navigate their eLearning courses, no matter what language they are using. The experience should be intuitive and consistent for everyone.
By keeping such factors in mind, you can ensure that your LMS is equipped to meet the needs of your global, multilingual audience.
The top 10 LMS platforms for global eLearning in 2022
There are so many LMS platforms you could choose. Rather than give an exhaustive list, we have listed 10 of the top LMS platforms for handling localized eLearning courses. Elsewhere, you can find various other directories that compare LMS platforms for the software features, the applicability to business, and by customer experience.
Here is a list of 10 good LMS platforms for global eLearning content. We have listed them in alphabetical order…
Absorb
Absorb is a popular LMS that can support large groups of learners. It is often used for human resources and eCommerce training and apparently has good customer support.
When you set up each course, you can specify the course language.
Adobe Learning Manager
Adobe Learning Manager allows you to manage end-to-end training across employees, customers, and partners. It is deployed as a cloud-based service and offers features like AI and gamification.
Localization support, like many Adobe products, is built in and well developed.
Blackboard
Blackboard is a very popular LMS platform in educational establishments. It has many active users and a large ecosystem of tools and services.
The platform's "Language Packs" can be applied to handle localization and you can apply them at any of 3 different levels in the LMS: system level, course level, and user level.
Docebo
Docebo is an enterprise-level LMS that is targeted at corporations. It supports mobile learning and integrates with over 400 third-party tools and services, including Salesforce, GitHub, and WordPress.
Localization features include a translation manager, custom localizations, and the ability to compare translations of two languages.
iSpring Learn
iSpring Learn is a fast-growing LMS platform with a focus on company-wide training programs. It supports various course formats and integrates with third-party services.
The company's software iSpring Suite Max includes simple import-export features to handle translated versions of your courses.
LearnUpon
Learn Upon is aimed at both small and large businesses. The LMS platform includes features like automation, custom reporting, and tools to measure your eLearning by its impact on the business.
Localization features include a user interface in over 20 languages and user-specific language settings.
Moodle
Moodle is an open-source, free platform used by many educational establishments. It offers a host of features, including mobile learning, plagiarism detection, and integrations with third-party software.
Like Blackboard, you can add support for particular languages via the software's "Language Packs."
TalentLMS
TalentLMS is a popular, cloud-based LMS platform that is used by many small and large businesses. It includes many interactive features, like quizzes, competitions, and leaderboards.
The LMS supports over 30 languages and you can serve specific language versions to different users by using the platform's "branches" feature. For example, you could create a new branch for each region or each language.
Thinkific
Thinkific is a popular online course platform often used by entrepreneurs looking to sell their expertise. It has many pre-built templates and an in-built website creator.
Thinkific proposes 2 ways to handle multi-language courses: either by using the "Custom Pages" feature to serve different versions of a page to different people or by having multiple Thinkific accounts, a different account for each language.
360Learning
360Learning is aimed at large enterprises and can be deployed to mobile or in the cloud. Common use cases include compliance training and employee onboarding.
Localization features include a language manager, translation analytics, and a dedicated interface in the software to manage translators and translated content.
Picking the right global LMS for you
The list of LMS platforms above is a good place to start looking for your company's ideal LMS. However, this is by no means an exhaustive list of all LMSs you might come across. Make sure to explore each platform in more detail.
Now that you have a better idea of what features are required for a global LMS, it's time to decide which one is right for your needs.
Each LMS platform offers a slightly distinct set of features and capabilities. It's important to carefully consider the needs of your global business before you decide.
With the right LMS in place, you make it possible for your eLearning content to be accessible and beneficial for all your learners, wherever they are in the world.
To learn more about eLearning localization, download our free Online Learning Best Practices eBook.
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Best Practices for Online Learning Localization
In this report, we share our best practices for writing, designing, and translating high-quality online learning material cost-effectively. Technology advances have made it easier than ever to create high-quality online learning courses, but translating instructional content can still be prohibitively expensive if it is not authored with localization in mind.