Übersetzungsbüro für E-LEarning-Kurse

Translation agency for e-learning courses

Translation of
E-learning and multimedia

Translation and localisation of your online courses

Cost-effective translation thanks to AI and translation memories

Why use our translation agency for e-learning courses? The Covid crisis has led to a rapid increase in online courses and online training on all sorts of subjects. E-learning, also known as electronic learning, is now used by many schools, universities and companies. Companies recognize the strategic importance of knowledge and use e-learning in many areas, such as product and software training, e-learning training for sales staff or customer service, further education or marketing. Private providers of knowledge and expertise are also increasingly using e-learning.

E-learning, known as computer-based training (CBT) in the 1980s, offers many advantages, including flexibility, accessibility and cost savings. Learners can participate from anywhere and organize their learning workload according to their own schedule. There are also a variety of e-learning platforms such as Udemy or Coursera and courses geared towards different subjects and target groups.

Much of the e-learning content is either in German or English. For learners who are not native speakers of either German or English, translation offers advantages. Learning new material is hard enough. Language should not be an additional obstacle. Translation of e-learning content, including videos, can help break down barriers to learning for people with limited language skills and for people with hearing impairments. For providers of online courses or online training, translations are a proven way to attract additional customers.

However, translating e-learning content also presents some challenges. The translations must be of high quality and of the same standard as the original. E-learning content usually contains technical or subject-specific terms that are difficult to understand and translate. Specialist translators must have expertise in the subject area being taught and have both didactic and cultural knowledge to ensure that the translations are accurate and easy to understand and that students can fully comprehend the material.

Overall, e-learning has established itself as a learning method and is expected to continue to grow in importance worldwide. This makes it all the more important to work with a qualified translation partner who knows how to go about it.

certified
Translation agency for e-learning courses in all languages
Online courses in English and other languages

Do you need a translation for your e-learning platform? We will send you a quote within a very short time. Send us your request using this quotation form.

Click or drag files to this area to upload. You can upload up to 10 files.
Für größere Volumina: unser Transferlaufwerk nutzen

File formats for e-learning courses

In e-learning and web-based training, there are various file formats and software products that are used depending on the type of material and the e-learning platform. Some commonly used file formats and e-learning programs are:

Word

Often used for e-learning materials, especially for texts and exercises.

PDF

Popular file format for e-learning materials, platform-independent.

PowerPoint

Often used in e-learning courses, especially for visual content such as diagrams and graphics.

Video formats

Videos are very often used in e-learning courses and can be available in various file formats such as MP4 or AVI.

Audio files

Audio files are commonly used in e-learning courses for lectures, explanations, narrations, podcasts, and interviews to engage learners.

Adobe Captivate

Software for creating interactive e-learning content such as presentations, simulations and quizzes. Can create content in various formats such as HTML5, SWF and MP4. The CPTX file format saves Captivate projects.

Articulate Storyline

Tool for creating interactive presentations, quizzes and other e-learning content. The STORY file format saves Articulate Storyline projects.

Lectora Publisher

Software for creating e-learning content such as surveys, presentations and more. Can create content in various formats such as HTML5, SWF and MP4. The AWT file format saves Lectora Publisher projects.

There are many other file formats that can be used for e-learning materials, depending on the requirements of the e-learning platform and the material. We can process most of them.

Herausforderungen bei Übersetzungen im Bildungssektor

The challenges of translating e-learning content

D.O.G. GmbH has the necessary knowledge for the localisation of content in the field of digital learning. Here are five of the most important challenges in localizing online courses:

Management of e-learning course projects in our translation agency

Localisation of your e-learning course: The process

These are the 8 usual steps that an e-learning translation project goes through with us. As the courses and course concepts can vary greatly, the process is always put together individually. If partial deliveries are agreed, steps 5-8 are repeated for each package.

RFQ

Provision of information for an offer.
We will receive your request, with information about the course content, files and file formats, number of languages required and any special requirements etc.

Quotation preparation

Determination of costs and quotation.
We calculate the scope of the translation and calculate the work involved. You will receive a quote with a fixed price and estimated processing time.

Fine-tuning and ordering

Details are agreed and the order is placed.
We clarify details of the process such as partial deliveries, communication, contact persons, reporting and record the result in a protocol.

Start of production

We start with the translation of the
e-learning course.
The project is divided into individual tasks and the project participants receive their instructions.

Translation

Translators translate the individual work packages one after the other.
Translators and the translation team maintain linguistic resources such as terminology during the translation process.
Questions are clarified on an ongoing basis.

Quality control and revision

We check the translation. Any corrections will be implemented.
As soon as the translation is finished, it is checked using the dual control principle to ensure that it is correct and of high quality. Our quality assurance software ErrorSpy is used for this.

Technical quality control

We check the functionality of videos, scripts,
e-learning apps, etc.
E-learning courses contain many technical elements and file formats such as scripts, HTML tags and audio formats, which we check to ensure that they work correctly in foreign languages.

Delivery

We deliver the localized
e-learning content.
After a final check, you will receive the localized version of your e-learning courses. On request, we can test the courses on your platform.

Localiocalisation of CBT and
e-learning courses for
these industries

Our customers work in these sectors

Translation agency for e-learning courses: Our language combinations

Selection from the languages we offer for e-learning localisation

We translate e-learning courses into several languages. Very popular combinations for the localisation of courses are:

Our translation agency for e-learning courses: Your quality and time advantage

What we pay particular attention to when translating e-learning courses

Terminologiemanagement

Cultural aspects of e-learning translations

When translating e-learning content, there are a number of cultural aspects that need to be considered to ensure that the material is understandable and relevant to the target audience. Some examples of these aspects are:

Terminology: It is important that translations are accurate and precise and that all technical or subject-specific terms are translated correctly. In some cases, certain terms may be unknown in the target culture or may be defined or used differently. It is therefore important to inform yourself in advance.

Cultural references: E-learning content may contain cultural references that are incomprehensible or even confusing to the target culture. It is important to adapt or replace these references to ensure that the course content remains accessible to the target audience.

Non-verbal communication: Some e-learning content may contain non-verbal communication such as gestures or facial expressions that may be foreign to the target culture. One should therefore adapt or replace these elements to ensure that the course material remains understandable to the target audience.

Inclusion of local perspectives: E-learning content should also take into account local perspectives and experiences to ensure that the material is better understood by the target audience.

Legal aspects and norms: Some course content refers to norms and laws that need to be adapted to the local conditions of the target group or at least should be explained.

In general, these cultural references include many aspects of everyday communication such as symbols, colours, examples, allusions to events, history and more.

Technical aspects of
e-learning translations

When translating e-learning content, a number of technical aspects must be taken into account in order to ensure the high quality and comprehensibility of the material for the target audience. The learning habits have changed drastically in recent years. Some examples of these characteristics are

Qualität bei der Übersetzung

Quality control of translated e-learning content

Quality control of an e-learning translation is an important part of the translation process to ensure that the material remains both understandable and technically usable for the target audience. There are various steps that should be taken into account when performing quality control on e-learning translations

Connectors and automation of
e-learning courses

Several e-learning platforms offer APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that make it possible to export or integrate content from the platform. Many of these platforms are compatible with SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model). SCORM is a set of standards and specifications for the creation and delivery of e-learning content. These APIs allow developers to connect to the e-learning platforms and access specific functions and data.

Accessing content from a learning management system (LMS) such as Moodle, ILIAS or OLAT via an API involves several steps, such as logging in with the API key, using the API functions to retrieve content from the platform and making the content available for translation. APIs can also be used to integrate the e-learning platform with other systems, such as learning content management systems (LCMS) or content management systems (or CMS).

The use of APIs in e-learning platforms can speed up the translation process.

Qualität bei der Übersetzung
Webseite Übersetzung mit DOG
EFFICIENT Localisation OF YOUR CBT COURSES
Cooperation with our translation agency for e-learning courses

We have developed tools and methods to handle all aspects of localisation in an efficient and cost-effective way. Here are the top five reasons to work with us:

FAQ to our translation agency for e-learning courses
These questions about the localisation of e-learning courses are frequently asked
Which technologies facilitate the localisation of e-learning?

There are various technologies and tools that can help with the localisation of an e-learning course, such as translation memory (TM) software, machine translation (MT) tools, terminology management programs, quality assurance programs and project management and workflow tools.

Translation memory technologies store all translations, ensuring consistency of course translation, while machine translation applications focus on cost and speed. Post-editing according to ISO 18587 ensures appropriate quality of the machine translation. Terminology management systems such as LookUp help to maintain consistent terminology, while quality assurance systems such as ErrorSpy detect errors. Project management tools such as XTRF facilitate collaboration and enable the localisation process to be monitored. D.O.G. has developed ErrorSpy and LookUp and provides access to project information via its customer portal.

How can you optimize the localized e-learning course for search engines?

Search engine optimisation must be considered throughout the localisation process to ensure that the course is visible and easy to find for users in different languages.

First, it is important to understand the local search engines and the search habits of the target audience. This includes using localized and keyword-rich titles and descriptions, translating and optimizing meta tags, URLs and hreflang tags, and searching for relevant keywords in the target country.

It is also helpful to have translators who live in the country of the target language, as they can conduct local SEO research to ensure the course is visible and easy to find for users in that language.

How much lead time is required for the localisation of an online course?

The scope of the course, the complexity of the material, the number of languages to be translated into and the availability of translation resources are just some of the variables that affect the time required to localize an e-learning course. Involve the localisation provider as early as possible. They can provide useful advice in advance that can speed up the process.

In general, it’s a good idea to allow at least a couple of weeks for the localisation process, as it can be a labour and resource intensive process. You can arrange partial deliveries and prioritize the deliveries. This way, you can give the translation service provider feedback that they can take into account for the remaining packages.

How do you calculate the cost of translating e-learning?

The cost of localizing e-learning depends on the size and complexity of the course, the number of languages it needs to be translated into and the specialisation of the translation resources required.

The translation volume, language and technologies used (such as MT) can affect the cost, as can the use of translation memories and glossaries and the amount of project management required. Costs can be lower when translation memories or machine translation systems and glossaries are used and higher with more languages and additional tasks such as SEO optimisation for specific markets.

Technical aspects such as file formats and API as well as testing the localized course can also have an impact on costs. We take all these factors into account when calculating e-learning localisation costs and discuss the options with our clients.

How do you ensure consistency with previous versions when updating courses?

To ensure consistency between the different versions of an e-learning course, we have our standard procedures. These include the use of a translation memory system and the creation of a specialized terminology. In addition, an experienced proofreader is assigned to a client so that they have already reviewed previous versions of the translations and are aware of the style guidelines established in the process. The style guidelines define the preferred style and language level as well as terminology and formatting requirements.

The use of a TM contributes to the consistency of translations by suggesting translations for similar text segments, which also reduces translation time. The quality assurance process is supported by our quality assurance software ErrorSpy, which accesses the defined terminology and remembers error messages from previous projects. It is also useful to test the updated course.

Customer testimonials
What our customers say

Checklist for the localisation of
e-learning courses

Linguistic aspects
  • Have you explained technical terms and abbreviations?
  • Have you created a style guide to support the localisation process?
  • If you are explaining or using software, are the commands and interface already localized?
  • Have you checked metaphors, idioms and humour?
  • Do the examples need to be localized?
Technical aspects
  • Have you considered translation memory software?
  • Are PDF files editable?
  • Can graphics be edited/localized?
  • Are images language-neutral?
  • Are fonts compatible with the target language?
  • Have scripts been checked for localisable strings?
  • Do videos have subtitles that need to be translated?
  • Do you have requirements for selecting speakers in other languages?
  • Is the e-learning platform user interface and messaging translated into the target languages?
  • Would you consider machine translation with or without post-editing for course-related chat groups?
  • Do all standard browsers in the target countries support the localized version of your course?
  • Does the length of the translated text cause problems with the layout or a software interface?
  • Does the sort order need to be adjusted in the target languages?
  • Do the scripts for checking emails or postal addresses take into account the specifics of the target country?
Localisation aspects
  • Is the instructional style appropriate for the local audience?
  • Are references to institutions, laws, norms and people adapted?
  • Do you need to update texts and images to take into account cultural sensitivities?
  • Have you checked the cultural implications of colours or images?
  • Have currencies, prices and monetary references been converted?
  • Are date formats correct for the target country?
  • Have measurements or numbers been converted to the units of measurement of the target language?
  • Have the exercises been adapted for cultural appropriateness?
  • Have you checked the appropriateness of national symbols, flags and maps?
  • Have local data protection standards been taken into account?
  • Does the content comply with the legal requirements of the target market (e.g. GDPR)?
  • Have the instructions and exercises been adapted to the educational systems of the countries?
  • Have the workflows been analysed from a cultural perspective?
Michael Gipperich - Kontaktperson

Are you thinking about translating your online courses?

Then you should talk to us about it, because there are many possibilities and options for localizing your content. Do not hesitate to contact us. We will respond to your individual needs and discuss the possible production alternatives with you.

Similar topics
You might also be interested in
Scroll to Top