Eging Solutions is one of the largest translation companies in Shanghai.

More and more companies are turning towards e-learning for their employees as it is quicker to deploy and more cost effective compared to classroom based training. As businesses are becoming more global in nature, companies need to provide training for their employees located in different parts of the world.

Translating e-learning materials can be costly, but Eging Translation and Interpreting is here to provide you with 5 tips on reducing expenditure in this area.

Create “translation-friendly” content

Try thinking about translation when you write your source material as this will save you time and money. Keeping sentences short and eliminating any slang will certainly help. Internationalise the content where possible. Review the content and ensure it is culturally neutral in terms of symbols, colours and images. This process not only reduces development time but also the costs involved in the translation process.

Think about images

A picture can tell 1,000 words, so where possible – use images. Try not to use screenshots if possible, and try not to embed any text within the images. Text embedded in an image can’t be extracted and therefore needs to be re-created for each language. If you need text, try to include it within a text box or a container.

As with content, when using any images think about images that will be culturally-neutral. Think about your audience when using metaphorical images. For example, using the British pound to signify money will not relate to everyone. Voice-over may be the simplest solution, as you don’t have to worry about any text.

Narration costs can be reduced if there is more focus on graphics and images. This a good strategy to adopt in courses related to compliance training and product training.

Watch out for expanding text

Translated text is typically longer than the English source and can be problematic if the text container is not flexible. Double check your horizontal navigation bars, menus and any other text containers with limited space for expansion.

Minimise complex content integration

If possible, avoid complicated synchronisation between your audio and the images. Lengthy subtitles should be avoided where possible too. Keep audio and on screen text clear and rhythmic so that this can be mirrored in the target language(s).

Choose your languages carefully

E-learning translation costs can be minimised by identifying the most appropriate and effective languages for your training courses. Sometimes companies translate their material into languages which are not popular and do not attract many users. In such cases the expenses incurred in translating into these languages is wasted.

These are just a few tips you can follow when creating multilingual e-learning materials. If your modules have already been created and you require localisation services, we work with skilled linguists and language technology engineers to make the process as easy for you as possible. Our dedicated Project Managers will make every project come together no matter how big or small.