Rapid Growth of the Corporate eLearning Market
Did you know that in certain large organizations, up to 60% of training costs are due to travel? But the age of the traveling trainer is fading, replaced by digital self-learning as training delivery becomes more accessible across borders.
The pandemic, rise of remote work, and normalization of video calls have significantly transformed corporate training. The global corporate eLearning market is projected to reach $50 billion by 2026, growing at an annual rate of 15% from 2020 to 2026.
eLearning teams with increasingly global responsibilities must bridge language and cultural barriers. Yet, in many cases, localization strategies for global eLearning content often overlook the vast intercultural differences between headquarters and satellite offices. To speak effectively to local audiences, it is vital to transform eLearning content into a version that resonates with native speakers, rather than produce an imitation of the original.
What is Localization in Corporate eLearning?
Creating successful eLearning content for international audiences requires more than just translation. Localization is essential. It involves adapting translations to fit the culture and context of a target market, ensuring that the content feels natural and native to its audience. A robust eLearning localization strategy considers the cause and purpose behind various content elements, such as narratives, images, ideas, and overarching concepts.
Localization Strategies and Best Practices for Corporate eLearning
To help you develop impactful eLearning content, we’re sharing five strategies and technical best practices to overcome common challenges for a successful and efficient launch.
1) Engage Global Stakeholders to Inform the eLearning Content Strategy
How do you identify and incorporate the content needs of global and multilingual audiences? After all, the best content feels tailor-made – not adapted from another source.
It is important to engage global stakeholders who represent your end-users, as their feedback can be invaluable to the design and language of the eLearning content.
Even simple interactions, like greetings between colleagues, can vary widely between cultures. Collaborating with stakeholders allows timely adjustments to minor yet significant changes that could become costly fixes later.
It is essential to source at least one stakeholder from each country to capture linguistic and cultural variations. Larger countries like China may require multiple stakeholders to account for regional differences.
2) Have an Effective Feedback Loop When Creating Source Content
As part of your eLearning localization strategy, it’s important to create a detailed content outline and have it reviewed by stakeholders. This not only includes text, but audio and visual resources as well. Incorporate their feedback to develop content variations tailored for each region.
It is essential to consider the broader context, storytelling mechanisms, and subtle visual details to achieve a natural manner of speaking and engage with the audience. Remember, the goal is to ensure the audience can focus on the content without being distracted by mistranslations or cultural faux pas.
3) Work with a Language Partner with eLearning Expertise
Localizing eLearning content is a multifaceted and complex process that goes far beyond a word-for-word translation. Where typical translation projects involve linguists and quality assurance, eLearning localization requires additional experts such as narrators, graphic designers, video editors, and specialists with sharp linguistic skills. The right language partner can offer you:
- In-house expertise with eLearning project management.
- Multimedia content localization expertise.
- Voiceover support, talent selection, multimedia editing, and pronunciation guides.
- Comprehensive quality assurance.
- Effective communication on project needs, status, and troubleshooting, with seamless collaboration between linguists and multimedia producers.
4) Leverage AI Tools to Streamline eLearning Content Production
While AI technology is not a cure-all, it can accelerate certain aspects of the localization process without compromising quality, particularly for media-rich projects.
For example, when it comes to graphics and video localization, AI can refine low-resolution files to enhance their appearance or adapt elements to align with a region’s cultural norms. This may involve substituting local signs, eliminating background noise or music from videos, or adjusting logos to accommodate global variations.
Voiceovers can improve attention and retention, particularly when combating screen fatigue caused by lengthy content. However, sourcing in-country voiceover talent can be expensive and time-consuming. AI-driven voiceover technology provides a viable alternative, but it’s crucial to have a linguist oversee the process to ensure accuracy and maintain quality.
AI plays a vital role in streamlining eLearning content production, but it’s important not to overlook the human touch. Collaborating with linguists and specialists ensures the content resonates with multilingual audiences.
5) Measure the Success of Your eLearning Content
There are multiple ways to gauge the success of your eLearning program and gather social proof for future projects:
- Survey global users. Craft questions that ask about their user experience, perception of quality, and level of engagement.
- Pay attention to engagement metrics. Positive engagement outcomes such as downloads, minutes watched, or quiz scores directly reflect the effectiveness of your localization efforts.
- Rely on your language partner. They can offer metrics beyond just linguistic quality to pinpoint success factors.
Localize Global eLearning Content with PGLS
Localizing global eLearning content can be daunting. As the project expands and progresses, the scope of project management will also broaden. Managing thousands of files and vast amounts of data can easily get out of hand. However, a language partner with an eLearning focus can help streamline the process by employing a systematic approach to maintain control and momentum.
At PGLS, we curate an eLearning development team that encompasses diverse expertise. Our team consists of multimedia specialists, linguists, AI specialists, and project managers who work collaboratively to produce refined and localized content. From inception to completion, these teams remain consistent, ensuring seamless continuity, high quality, and efficient cost management.
Ready to get started? Get in touch to start a discussion on how to position your eLearning localization endeavors for success!