E-Learning – What’s the Big Deal?
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Gone are the days when we were only educated via in-house lessons, face-to-face sessions or through textbooks. While this form of learning is still very much the case (in schools, of course), a huge chunk of education is now being learnt online via e-learning materials. Whether you’re studying a new course in biology or training your employees on how to use your software, e-learning comes in handy.
But like the title says – what’s the big deal? And what exactly is e-learning, anyway?
E-learning is the process of providing education or training online via a variety of digital methods such as videos, graphics, slideshows or audio. These materials are created on specific systems and they provide a fun, interactive and exciting way to be educated.
As technology advances, several industries learn to adopt new processes throughout their practices. This includes schools, businesses and organisations, who are now preferring to teach and train their students, trainees and employees using e-learning materials.
People much prefer to use a computer, or their phones to study history and they’d much rather watch a video when getting trained for a new job.
For this reason, hundreds of schools, and even businesses are taking advantage of e-learning and adopting it as their preferred method of teaching.
What happens if I want my e-learning material in various languages?
Don’t fret! There are several language service providers such as Pangea who offer e-learning localization services. If you’ve decided it’s time to reach overseas students or remote workers (in other countries), there are indeed ways to communicate your educational content in their desired language.
By considering your target audience and its culture, we will adapt your e-learning content, whether it is interactive slideshows or video content, in the appropriate language. But translation isn’t all that’s involved. Out of our huge pool of linguists, we select the suitable one who is native in the target language, but also experienced with the said country’s culture. In other words, we *localize* your e-learning content. This means adapting its context and graphics so that it is comprehensible and applicable for your targeted locale.
Bonus offering? The designated linguist will also have experience and knowledge in the required field. What do we mean? Whether your e-learning material is based on politics or a medical guide, the chosen translator will have extensive knowledge in this particular field, ensuring that the content is accurately translated with zero mistakes.
What’s actually involved in e-learning localization?
We don’t just take care of your text, we look over any images, colours, symbols and graphics and adapt them by ensuring that they’re suitable, and not offensive for the target market. For instance, your e-learning interactive course might feature a “thumbs up” icon. This might be a sign of approval in most countries, but in others such as Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the gesture has the connotation of “up yours!” Pangea’s expert localizers are aware of the customs, norms and formalities of cultures and will therefore be cautious when adapting your e-learning content.
A lot of work is involved in localizing e-learning materials. Whether it’s a Word Document, a PowerPoint presentation, video, slideshow or PDF document, there are several digital and technical steps involved. These include engaging in desktop publishing, using flash and HTML5 integration, applying audio and multimedia services, graphic design services, and finally using several translation technology tools.
Once your educational content has been translated and localized, it will then be mulled over by a proofreader and it will generally go through a round of QA (quality assurance) as well testing to ensure it’s all up to par.
How have you benefited from e-learning materials? Is it now time to take them global? Get in touch with Pangea Localization Services and find out how our team can take your e-learning content overseas!
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