We are all aware of the almost compulsory relevance that virtual activities gained in the wake of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, but the truth is that the remote form is an option that has been growing for the past few years, being used by a large number of institutions, serving a multitude of purposes and which, of course, provides greater convenience in our technological era. Undoubtedly, one of the most obvious examples is work from home, whereby we can perform a professional activity not just from our homes, but from any other place that best suits our given circumstances, allowing us to find a better work-life balance. Likewise, it is worth highlighting the great contribution of virtual teaching and learning, or e-learning. E-learning is not only about students who are now able to attend school, high school or college from home (a need that is linked to our recent history). It encompasses an entire strategy for the remote dissemination of knowledge that has been implemented for some time and that has become a fundamental strategy in the business world. This stems from the fact that this type of training allows specialized know-how to be shared with a wide audience, sparing the difficulties of organizing face-to-face events. Moreover, they provide greater flexibility as to when to hold the event and the location, since everyone has different, even conflicting, circumstances.
As such, e-learning is quite a common resource in all types of businesses and institutions that are seeking to contribute specific information about particular issues to a target audience. It is obvious that these businesses and institutions’ outreach can vary greatly, and as is to be expected, this can surpass the local level to expand worldwide; in other words, using the same e-learning product in different countries and, therefore, for different cultures and languages. This is where providing language services comes into play: content must be translated. However, is it enough to translate the written content of an e-learning product? Or do we need to adapt the content of these products from an intercultural point of view instead? In this instance, it is small wonder that many experts champion the concept of localization. Localization, in addition to expressing the objective information (facts) in another language, intends to bring the content closer to the target culture. This not only takes place between pairs of different languages, but also between the different variants of the same language (as is the case with European Spanish and Mexican Spanish or between US and UK English).
Below we discuss a number of aspects that localizers for e-learning products must bear in mind when working on these types of projects.
First, they usually pay attention to the graphical user interface, as it can’t contravene the target audience’s cultural expectations. In addition to adapting the content to the diverse screen types depending on the device used, e-learning localization pays special attention to color, since it can carry different connotations across cultures (e.g., it is not a good idea to emphasize the use of yellow when translating for a German audience, as they associate yellow with envy, unlike in Egypt, where it is associated with happiness). Likewise, icons are key here, as they can be at odds with cultural stereotypes (e. g., the thumbs-up gesture is considered offensive in Russia and Greece, so it may not be taken to mean “OK” in the materials translated into these languages. Furthermore, esthetic considerations about the characters in the slide shows are also crucial in this case. For instance, a European institution localizing a product for the Asian market may consider replacing the characters with typical European features with others from Asian countries to inspire sympathy in their target audience.
Next, we have to address the elements of the e-learning product. For instance, when exporting a product to a market with the same language it was written in, we have to pay special attention to the words themselves (e. g., replacing “color” with “colour” when localizing to UK English, or “bolígrafo” with “pluma”, which mean “pen” when doing so for the Mexican audience). Furthermore, when we are localizing, we must not only consider the text, but also the pictures, and multimedia content. The more elements like these are localized into the target language, the more connected the audience will feel, improving their attitude towards learning as well as their results, because the lack of translation sometimes hinders the natural flow of assimilation of knowledge. In addition to these aspects, there are other elements that can appear in e–learning products and on which localizers can decide to intervene to a greater or lesser extent. One such case is the presentation of narratives and the proposal of scenarios. Occasionally, they will not meet the cultural expectations of the target audience, and in this case the professional can choose between remaining faithful to the source and create an objective distance, or it can be adapted in order to obtain a neutral result.
Summing up, the translation of content for e–learning products is not circumscribed to the inter-language replication of the text, but it is related to the cultural adaptation of the entire content for the target audience. In this way, the final result will achieve crucial advantages: the product’s scope is expanded, and the user’s experience is notably enhanced while inspiring a greater sense of trust. This is why it is essential to hire the language services of a professional entity that is committed to their clients’ needs.
Ref. de la imagen: https://www.uncuyo.edu.ar/ciencia_tecnica_y_posgrado/elearningcurso
