Translating e learning files with lectora inspire

1. Now You’re Speaking My Language – Translating and Publishing Lectora Courses David Smith President - LinguaLinx
2. Translation and Localization Questions What are Translation, Localization, Globalization and Internationalization? Why are they important to you? How are they done using the Lectora version 11.1 translation tool?
3. Definitions Globalization (G11N) all company-wide preparations that must be made in order to enter the international marketplace Internationalization (I18N) creating source material that is locale-independent Localization (L10N) adapting content and presentation for a particular country or region Translation (T9N) adapting meaning from one language into another in a written format
4. Why Global-Friendly? 40% to 60% of all .com traffic originates outside of the U.S. People gravitate to what is familiar to them. The number of multilingual websites and translated courseware is growing. People are becoming accustomed to content that is localized to their needs. A localized environment creates a pleasant user experience, which can increase brand loyalty
5. Why is Internationalization Important? Translating content is only one piece of the complete picture. Technology considerations can impact translation quality, time, and cost. Not every publishing experience is the same. Needs and expectations will continue to shift. Be prepared to quickly shift with them. Corporate training is a $200 billion industry eLearning represents $52.6 billion of this This will grow to over $107 billion by 2015
6. Industry fact and figures People taking online courses 2013 – 4.6 million 2015 – 18 million Importance of native language 72.4% are more likely to buy 56.2% consider it more important than price With just three languages reach up to half of the world’s online users English, Spanish and Chinese Top ten languages = 80%+ of all online users
7. How does this affect you when using Lectora Inspire?
8. Content Style – Writing Tips Translations should read as if it were originally crafted in the target language. Understanding the cultural and linguistic dynamics of the localization process will help create better multilingual content. Lay it out for all the world Anticipate language expansion Use consistent terminology Write clearly and concisely
9. Content Style – Things to Avoid Complex or lengthy sentences Abbreviations, slang, jargon, or undefined acronyms Invented words (unless they are well defined) or words with multiple meanings Anything portraying a way of life or a culture specific to a particular people, country or region
10. Using the Lectora Translation Tool File is exported into .rtf format which any Language Service Provider (LSP) can use Any section of your file can be exported – a certain chapter, a certain body of text, or all the text including tags and buttons Any text that is in an image can be translated by an LSP with a desktop publishing department
11. Using the Lectora Translation Tool
12. Cultural Differences are Noticeable
13. A Flag Is Not a Language Flags are often used for language selection. This is problematic because flags identify countries, not languages. Which is English?
14. Local and Regional Icons

Editor's Notes

Globalization (G11N) includes all company-wide preparations that must be made in order to enter the international marketplace. G11N covers anything that must be done differently in any part of the business to optimize international success.Internationalization (I18N) is the practice of creating source material that is locale-independent. For websites, I18N refers to code changes that are made to ensure that a website can be localized and that all information is presented in a format to which the end user is accustomed.Localization (L10N) is the process of adapting your website’s content and presentation for a particular country or region. This includes translation. Translation (T9N) is the process of adapting meaning from one language into another in a written format.
Whether your immediate audience is global or not, chances are your website will be visited by people from around the globe. If your website does not cater to your visitors’ expectations, you may miss opportunities for wider engagement.Even if your target audience lives within the U.S., they may have language needs to expectations other than English. Providing them with a web experience in their native language increases the likelihood of winning their trust, their business, and promotion of your organization.
Translating content is only one piece of the complete picture. Not only are there rules and needs based on the language of the content, but there are cultural considerations as well. These considerations impact everything from layout and browser compatibility to the appropriateness of content. Words, images, audio, and video all need to be accounted for.Technology considerations can impact translation quality, time, and cost. How content is stored, updated, and published can directly impact how it is translated and published in that language.Not every web experience is the same. Current trends show an overall decline in Internet Explorer and FireFox users and an increase in Chrome and Safari users. Plus, global mobile data use is predicted to double every year for the next several years, yielding 788 Million mobile-only web users around the globe by 2015. China and India account for over 30% of the current number of total world-wide mobile internet subscribers.Needs and expectations will continue to shift. Be prepared to quickly shift with them.
Lay it out for all the worldMake sure to design your web pages to flow content from start to finish in the main body area. Translations can expand or contract drastically in length. You do not want to spend time manually reformatting web content around rigidly designed templates.Avoid constrictive framed or boxed text. Any sidebar text boxes or captions must be able to automatically resize to accommodate different translations.Most date, address, and number formats differ from one country to another.Be aware that icons differ across borders. Many symbols are accepted internationally, but a U.S. mailbox looks very different from a U.K. “postbox.”Anticipate language expansionMany languages require more space than English, so the foreign-language text will be longer. Plan to accommodate text expansion of about 25%. Asian languages, however, contract.Allow extra space in menus, buttons, and link regions to avoid awkward abbreviations, which impact readability.Use consistent terminologyAvoid creating new technical terms: use existing terms.Create a translation glossary to assist your translator. Don’t include common words that can be referenced in a dictionary, rather only include those that may have unique meaning in your industry. If there are several synonyms for one term — “air cylinder” can also be known as a “bottle”, a “pressure vessel”, and so on — pick the one most often used by the audience you are targeting. When the glossary is reviewed before use by a translator in each language, each reviewer can make their own choices among synonyms.Avoid abbreviations and acronyms wherever possible. They can confuse both readers and translators. When an abbreviation or acronym is required, write the full phrase the first time it is mentioned, followed by the abbreviation or acronym in parentheses.Remember basics and specificsGood translations begin with clear writing. Write well, since translators must truly understand every word.Be clear and succinct. Use a simple writing style and short sentences.Avoid using ampersands (&) and slashes (/) to combine terms. A slash really means “or,” which makes the American phrase “and/or” seem quite strange.Do not use jargon, slang or buzzwords unless absolutely necessary. When using them, you must define their meaning in your glossary so the intention of the word or phrase is translated appropriately, not the word or phrase itself.Use the active voice for verbs, not the passive. Help reduce translation costs!Limit the volume of words. Translation costs are based on the number of English words. If you translate into 20 languages, each English word increases translation costs 20-fold.Do not embed text in graphics. Re-use text when you can, and don’t make any unnecessary minor wording tweaks. For example, don’t say “Click here for more information” in one place, and then “Click the following for more info” in another. While they seem to say the same thing, they will be translated separately using the same slight differences, adding to your translation costs. Using the same wording in both places reduces the number of unique words, which will reduce the translation cost.Write clearly and concisely - Two reminders from an editor for translations(1) Conciseness is important, but text without articles, prepositions or relative pronouns may cause translators extra work to understand the meaning.(2) The meaning of the source text for the translation must be clear, because English is the second language (or third!) for each of our translators.
Avoid:Words with multiple meaningsAbbreviationsMnemonicsAcronymsTelegraphic style – with exception of technical writingSlang or jargonGender Creation of new words Shortened plurals or word combinationsAnything portraying a way of life or a culture specific to a particular people, country or region

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