E-learning is a fun and convenient method of obtaining new skills and knowledge, without having to leave the comfort of one’s office or home.  With all educational and training resources at one’s fingertips, e-learning is fast becoming the preferred method of learning for students and working individuals.  Technically, E-learning refers to the use of online tools in education, and due to growing worldwide demand, e-learning courses are now turning multilingual.  The process of making e-learning courses available to users worldwide takes time and dedication and is extremely rewarding.

There are two important steps/processes involved in the development ofmultilingual e-learning courses:

Step 1: Internationalization

It is best to view the process of developing multilingual e-learning courses like building a house.  First, you need to plan the structure & design of the course so that it is easily adaptable to multiple languages:  what are the course components?  How do you plan for each component to work?  How should the course look?  Are there potential plans to expand the course?

The planning & designing of an e-learning course, and identifying the parts that will be multilingual, is referred to as internationalization. 

Step 2: Localization

After you have planned and designed the e-learning course, localization can begin. Localizationis the process of making the designed course adaptable to users who speak different languages and come from different cultures.  Think back to our house analogy-  localization is like decorating or furnishing the house for a specific person or group.

In our next entry, we will explore the process of internationalization.