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4 Things to Remember when Creating Multilingual Elearning Courses

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HandyTrain
4 Things to Remember when Creating Multilingual Elearning Courses

India is a country of many people and many languages. Multinational organizations also outsource a lot of their operations and functions to India giving employment opportunities to millions. This means that all of them must undergo training in these before they can actually do their jobs. However, there’s one major challenge that needs to be overcome – the language problem.

Our geographical boundaries are fast disappearing as technology advances and while English is the main language of communication, it’s becoming clearer that we need to think about deploying training in other languages too. While there are hundreds of these spoken, it’s not possible to offer training in all of them. Therefore, to start with, we should look at creating eLearning courses in the main ones. But before that, there are a few things we need to keep in mind when doing so.

What you need to know when creating multilingual eLearning courses

Creating eLearning courses in English is simple when you have all your content readily available. It’s another thing when you have to create the same thing in other languages. Translating eLearning courses that have been created in English first won’t help. You need to research and understand the context of the languages you are going to create these courses in.

Check the training requirements before you start

States across India follow the same central government regulations for the most part. However, some states may also have state-level rules and regulations that organizations must follow. Tax, labor laws, compliance, etc. are just a few examples of these. Therefore you need to check and plan out how you’re going to frame the learning objectives, outline content, design your instructional strategy, and define the assessment approach. After all, you’re not just doing it in English but multiple other languages.

Be careful with the language you use

Language is a funny thing. Something said in English may be funny but translated into another language may just offend someone else if the tone is wrong. Similarly, when creating an eLearning ensure that the content, language, and references used aren’t offensive to someone’s culture. It’s just better to engage the assistance of someone who is fluent in the language you are attempting to create the eLearning course in.

Use the right terminology

An English word for something is not going to be read or written in the same way in languages like Hindi or Kannada. Training content is always full of important terminology. You need to ensure that you get these right when designing eLearning courses in either of these languages or others. If you’re using a translation tool, it’s also good to run your work by a native speaker who can make corrections if necessary.

Use an eLearning platform that supports multilingual training programs

Since training content is generally created in English, most eLearning platforms may not allow you to upload multilingual content. Check that the eLearning platform or mobile LMS you use has the capability to allow you to upload information in other languages without any problem. Otherwise, the whole point of offering mobile training to employees across the country, on this scale, is defeated.


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