Localisation of Learning

Making localisation happen - on time and on budget

"The challenge was significant: simultaneous 7-language localisation of Click2Learn's Aspen v2.1 product with only 11 weeks to get it done. This ultimately meant that over 1.5 million words had to be translated, edited, integrated back into the application, and tested - all within 9 working weeks."

Added: 23 September 2003
Reviewer's Note:
A case study from welocalize

Writing for Global E-Learners

"The Web has brought e-learning to all parts of the globe. Your students may be across town or across an ocean. How should you write so that learners around the world or from different cultures can easily read and understand your instructional materials?" Marilynne Rudick and Leslie O'Flahavan

Added: 21 March 2003
Reviewer's Note:
A number of tips for making e-learning universal

Thinking locally to communicate globally

"Localizing a Web site-converting it for users in another country or culture-and globalizing a site-optimizing it for users from many countries or cultures-can be complex projects, and it's easy to overlook one or two seemingly small things." Thomas Pack, EContent, January 2003

Added: 27 February 2003
Reviewer's Note:
Summary - "So, although globalization and localization projects can be expensive, complex undertakings, the good news is that global success is possible even for companies with limited resources, if they just pay more attention to the words and images they use on a site in order to facilitate a more global understanding of econtent."

Local Goes Global. Creating "WOW!" worldwide

"Local Goes Global" is a downloadable e-guide which shows you how to decide which courses will benefit from localization, common causes of offence and cultural misunderstandings, when to use classroom training and coaching, how to select specialists and plan your localization to take into consideration regional attitudes and hardware. ." e-learning guru Publications

Added: 27 February 2003
Reviewer's Note:
Free sample available. Price £25. Options for multiple purchases and telephone consultancy

Are you cultured?

"When a company decides to globalize its site, the Web team often learns the taboo colors and appropriate dress codes of a given culture, translates the text, and launches. But cultural differences run deeper than visual appearance or language; they reflect strong values. Rarely do globalized sites incorporate the nuances of a culture's social hierarchy, individualism, gender roles, time-orientation, or truth-seeking attributes." Aaron Marcus, New Architect, March 2003

Added: 16 February 2003
Reviewer's Note:
Reviewe's Note: A very useful article for those developing global e-learning solutions

Globalization Factory

"How to translate your website: a 8-day course for non-translators. This simple eight-day e-course will guide you through the process of web site translation. With information, solutions and useful web sites, you will be ready to have your web site translated in any language in eight days! You can also use these tips to translate software, marketing materials and documents. You will receive an email every day for the next eight days!"

Added: 15 October 2002
Reviewer's Note:
Also a book to purchase

Case Study: Blackboard Inc. & Welocalize partner in the globalization of the award winningBlackboard Learning SystemT

"Responding to the rapid global adoption of its e-Learning software, Blackboard Inc. entered into an expansive partnership with Welocalize to implement an enterprise-wide globalization plan related to the Blackboard Learning SystemTM. Focused on further empowering Blackboard's clients, partners and Building Block application developers, the partnership will directly affect how e-Education is deployed and offered around the world and allow educational institutions abroad to tailor the e-Learning process to their local pedagogical approaches"

Added: 10 September 2002
Reviewer's Note:
A case study from Welocalize (localisation services vendor) (in Word doc format)

Taking an e-learning project across borders

"Going global with your e-learning solution? Here are some tips from Eriksen Translations on how to plan your project." Debbie Folaron, Learning Circuits, August 2002

Added: 28 August 2002
Reviewer's Note:
"New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies asked Eriksen Translations to localize its Virtual College user interface and 14 online certificate program courses from English into a universal Spanish for learners in Spain and Latin America"

Speaking in tongues

"The Internet may be helping us to become one great big, global family, but we're a family that still has trouble communicating (don't they all?). As members of this family we want to be able to communicate in our own language and in terms that we can relate to. While it may be efficient for us to share the same, vanilla e-learning content, the fact is that it simply doesn't work. If e-learning is to reach its full potential, it cannot remain the exclusive property of the English-speaking world. In this article, Clive Shepherd examines the increasing importance of localisation for e-learning and looks at what's involved if this is to succeed in bringing new audiences for our content." Tactix, July 2002

Added: 7 July 2002
Reviewer's Note:
Some facts about localisation and localisation resources

Designing e-learning for the global audience

"Translating e-learning courseware into other languages is only the first step to taking that courseware to international learners. Throughout the planning and design stage, internationalization has to be an organic part of every decision. There are dozens of challenges in the typical project. Here's a checklist to get you started." Bjorn Austraat, eLearning Developers' Journal, 4 June 2002

Added: 8 June 2002
Reviewer's Note:
Starts with useful definitions of globalization, internationalization and localization before addressing the issues

Culture shock: Overseas e-learning markets require careful customization of content

"Red is considered a lucky color in China. It's the traditional shade worn at weddings, the color of "hong baos," the money envelopes given on the Chinese New Year, and the predominant color of the national flag. How unlucky, then, that a U.S.-based company planned to use red flags as warning signals in an e-learning course intended for Chinese students. Fortunately, someone noticed before it was too lateRed is considered a lucky color in China. It's the traditional shade worn at weddings, the color of "hong baos," the money envelopes given on the Chinese New Year, and the predominant color of the national flag. How unlucky, then, that a U.S.-based company planned to use red flags as warning signals in an e-learning course intended for Chinese students. Fortunately, someone noticed before it was too late." Ann Quigley, eLearn Magazine, April 2002

Added: 10 April 2002
Reviewer's Note:
Some of the things you need to take note of when globalising your content

E-Learning goes global

"You probably have heard the mantra by now - e-Learning is a global phenomenon. In fact, some of the primary advantages such as the cost savings of e-Learning on a national level become even more dramatic when you take it to an international level. At the same time, you may be asking "where do I begin?" in developing an international e-learning initiative." A report from Brandon-Hall to download for $545

Added: 10 August 2001
Reviewer's Note:
Creating e-learning solutions that can be used globally requires some thought, this report addresses the major issues: cultural and localisation, translation and language, technological and administrative. You can take a look at the Executive Summary before you buy

Training a global audience

"The promise of an IP-enabled world is transforming the learning paradigm. With this shrinking world comes the challenge of making learning fit a more diverse crowd by considering the cultural and technical implications of designing, developing, and deploying content for global audiences." Russ Borman, e-Learning magazine, July 2001

Added: 16 July 2001
Reviewer's Note:
With content now being created to be distributed globally, this article shows you how to "avoid making cross-cultural boo-boos"

Designing effective elearning across national boundaries

"The most basic principle is that elearning tools developed in the U.S. cannot automatically be used by learners in other countries without considering a number of cultural and technical issues." JD Eveland, LiNEZine

Added: February 2001
Reviewer's Note: