Top 5 Tips for Creating Global E-Learning

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Managing Source Terminology Even if You Do Not Translate
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Top 5 Tips for Creating Global E-
Learning
I’m in the midst of my second experience with online learning as a student. While my experiences are online
programs from brick-and-mortar schools, each experience has been very different. The first experience involved a
structured schedule of weekly readings, assignments, and discussions via discussion boards or social media. The
current course is self-paced and consists of watching videos, taking short online quizzes after each module, a weekly
“office hour” conference call, a final exam, and a project due at the end of the course. The first experience gave
students an opportunity to interact with each other, whereas the second one did not.
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What does all this have to do with globalization, you may ask? A lot, actually. During this second online learning
experience, I remembered that one of the main purposes of online learning is supposed to be the ability to learn
anytime, anywhere. And anywhere mean globally. That’s great idea, but what if you don’t speak the primary language
used in the course, or it’s a second language for you, or even simply a different dialect than yours? It doesn’t seem
like it would be a big deal, but it really can be! The same issues that arise from mainstream technical content applies
to e-learning and m-learning as well!
I conferred with two e-learning experts to get their input about globalization and localization issues in e-learning,
namely Clark Quinn, author of Designing mLearning and Revolutionize Learning & Development, and Joe Ganci of
eLearningJoe.com. Based on the information I received, the following five recommendations emerged.
Don’t overlook the fact that translation and localization need to be
considered in creating e-learning content.
This seems to be one of those factors in which the content creator needs to remember to “know your audience.” The
consensus among the experts was that you do need to remember globalization and localization early on in the
process. Why would that be an early consideration? “Often the directive to localize an e-Learning course comes so
late in the process that a lot of work has to be redone,” said Joe Ganci. Clark Quinn agreed, saying, “[T]he first step
is to make sure the content is localizable, including the images and examples used as well as the space for text (e.g.
1.5 – 2 times more than for English for languages like German). This also includes making separately addressable
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things like text from images from background decoration. All the preparation makes translation and localization
easier and cheaper.”
Realize there can be detrimental consequences if localization and
translation are not conducted correctly in the learning process.
The immediate impact of not implementing localization and globalization measures are costly and time-consuming,
especially for late decisions on the content or when it’s not considered up front. This applies to text, images, and
multimedia. It can also affect your relationship with your clients.
Clark Quinn gave a great example of this, explaining, “I remember when I used an image of a crown (for the message:
content is king, but context is emperor), and when I submitted my deck for use in Saudi Arabia they asked me to
substitute a different crown image because the one I used had a cross in it. It literally wouldn’t have occurred to me,
but I risked offending my host country!”
Consider what obstacles can appear when creating e-learning courses
for multiple languages and countries.
The responses that my experts gave me surprised me, but they made sense.
Joe responded, “Ironically, authoring tools available today usually make it more difficult to deliver localized lessons
without, in essence, copying a lesson as many times as necessary to cover each translation and/or localization
needed. Older tools made the process easier by giving access to external files so that you could author a lesson
once and then swap out images, text, audio and videos in real time at the time the learner accesses the lesson rather
than having to prepare multiple versions of a lesson. “
Clark found that contextualization was a big issue. He said, “The biggest problem is creating initial situations that
don’t translate well. Contextualization is important for learning, but some contexts may not be ubiquitous. Humor is
also a barrier. The best advice I’ve heard is to tap into office humor, stuff that’s about the workplace, so it’s true for
every workplace.”
Be sure to realize solutions that can create richer e-learning
coursework which is sensitive to language and cultural needs.
Early planning, again, with the content is key. Both experts recommended getting outside advice on different cultures
and languages—culturally diverse teams are optimal.
Clark framed it this way:
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“We know that outcomes are better when they’re not the product of an individual, and when a number of factors are
present: diversity, openness, fairness, positive, etc. We should leverage that, not end run it. (And see, end run is an
Americanism that may not translate!) It helps to have guidelines, of course, as that’s a natural adjunct to our
strengths and weaknesses. Creating processes that build in awareness is another good approach.”
Joe also added that tools are important, too, saying, “[A]s much as possible, use tools and find ways to author once,
delivery to multiple rather than have to maintain multiple versions of a lesson over time.
Understand that there are translation/localization issues that are unique
in e-learning/m-learning that wouldn’t occur when writing other kinds of
content.
E-learning is not the same as writing standard help files, which both experts pointed out.
Clark pointed out that pedagogical differences can be a big difference between globalized e-learning content and other
kinds of content. He explained, “Despite the fact that our wetware isn’t different, our beliefs about learning, our
epistemological stances about what our role in learning is, can vary across cultures. And although the best learning
design is empirical, it may not match what different people are comfortable with. For example, when I first introduced
a very constructivist approach to a bevy of students from cultures that had a high veneration for scholars, they had
trouble coming up with their own interpretations. It’s not that they weren’t capable of it, but rather it was unfamiliar. I
quickly found that I had to help them understand this learning approach and scaffold them to make it succeed, but
then the deeper pedagogical approach had the chance to make more transformational change.”
Joe felt that the differences presented themselves more technologically, saying, “True e-learning is highly interactive
and media-rich. This sets it apart from many other forms of content and media. Combining disparate media and
adding levels of interactivity adds complexity to even just one version of a lesson. Localizing the lesson means that
there is even more complexity and a lot more quality assurance cycles to ensure that no one version suffers in the
process.”
While we continue to learn about globalization and localization in technical communication, these tips can help us
understand that there is more that lays beneath the surface of eLearning content than mere translation, and it doesn’t
stop at marketing or informational websites or publications.
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Blog · Global Readiness · APRIL 2, 2015
Danielle Villegas
Danielle M. Villegas is currently a web publishing consultant at BASF North America, with
a background in client services, project management, and web content
management.Danielle is best known in the technical communications world for her blog,
TechCommGeekMom.com, which was launched during her graduate studies at NJIT in
2012, and has continued to flourish.
When Danielle’s zest for learning new technology isn’t consuming her, she spends time
watching too many Doctor Who episodes and other geek shows, knitting, and doing
genealogy research. Did you know that Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, is
her first cousin twelve times removed? Believe it!
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