In 2021, Training Magazine reported that the average American employer paid a little over $1,000 per employee on training and education. But what happens if a company has a global workforce and needs to communicate across different regions, locales, and languages? eLearning training modules make it extremely easy to distribute educational programs worldwide, but how can a business ensure their materials make sense to their learners, from China to the Czech Republic to Colombia?
That’s where our eLearning localization services can help you.
What’s eLearning Localization?
Localization is the process of adapting content to the culture of a specific audience. On the other hand, translation is the literal rendering of a word from one language to another. While translation may be a more commonly known phrase, translation and localization go hand in hand. That’s because translated content needs to be localized to make sense and be culturally relevant while adapting the curriculum to whoever is consuming the content.
Language Intelligence’s eLearning localization services take the language and culture of your learners into account. Our team of linguists will look at the overall context of your eLearning material, extract its meaning, and since they’re native speakers of the target language, they’ll go to extra lengths to make sure the content makes sense on a global scale.
Here’s how localizing your eLearning content will revolutionize your workforce training.
1. Localization Improves Comprehension
The Research Institute of America estimates that learners retain anywhere between 25- 60% of the content they learn in online courses, compared to only 8-10% in classrooms. But these numbers can severely diminish if a learner takes a course in a second language - which is not surprising because a person’s brain can only concentrate on so many things at a time. If the brain is overstimulated, it starts to shut down and the person will be left feeling confused and tired.
Employees that speak multiple languages will have to focus on translating content from one language into their native language, making it harder for them to focus on the material at hand. Plus, given the frequency of colloquialisms and idioms in the English language, some training materials just may not make sense to someone who isn’t a native English speaker.
So with these factors in mind, when an eLearning course isn’t properly localized, the learner has to work extremely hard to comprehend all the materials in front of them, which puts them at risk of not understanding the material as a whole. And if they can’t adequately be trained in the material, then what’s the purpose of making them take the course in the first place?
2. Localization Boosts Employee Happiness and Job Satisfaction
It goes without saying that promoting an inclusive, global workforce is absolutely key to boosting employee happiness. If business owners only produce learning materials in English, then it can be hard for non-native English-speaking employees to feel valued and if they’re part of a team.
Translating and localizing all your eLearning materials will go a long way in showing your employees that you care about their culture and will adapt to their needs.
3. Localization Increases Productivity
Our end-to-end eLearning localization services will provide you with finished materials that are ready for global distribution. This means that your employees won’t have to worry about translating the content before reading it - they can take the courses and fully absorb the material as it already is. In return, this means your employees will have more time to focus on the training at hand. Localizing your material means one less thing to worry about, for both you, and them!
Translating and localizing your eLearning content will bring nothing but great opportunities to your business. At Language Intelligence, our team of over 400 native-speaking, industry specialists will provide high-value eLearning content to distribute to your global workforce. With our help, we’ll ensure your message is understood and is appropriate for all your learners.
For more information on our comprehensive eLearning localization services, get in touch with us today!