1. Done Right, E-Learning Localization Can Save
Millions
This article was originally published on the Acclaro blog.
Category: Training & eLearning
The recession last year (wait, is it over yet?) breezed over a few product and service sectors,
and was even downright friendly to some. E-learning was one of those. With the recession,
many companies began relying more on freelancers and contractors to fulfill work that was
previously being done in-house, and incorporating flexible working practices into their HR
policies, which expanded the need for virtual training.
On top of that, companies looking to cut costs turned abroad for cheaper workforces, who in
turn need to be trained in their foreign tongue. (An adult educated to university level in a
foreign language has only a quarter of the vocabulary compared to a native speaker.)
Knowledge and training for foreign language workers needs to be customized for their language
and often their culture, too.
When localized correctly, e-learning can be a highly efficient, cost-effective learning medium. It
helps with brand and company consistency as it delivers a uniform training solution across both
languages and cultures. But it's not as easy as it sounds. Localizing e-learning solutions is just
as tricky as software localization, with all the potential traps of marketing translation.
Here's an example:
A Canadian-based company that sells driver e-learning
packages was rapidly expanding into 20 countries in just
two years. The company realized too late that the product
had some serious cultural flaws, the Wall Street
Journal reported:
The dialogue in the lessons had been poorly-translated and the driving instruction failed to
address geographic nuances. For example, AlertDriving teaches that the center lane is the
safest on a multi-lane highway, but that is untrue in Dubai, where the center lane is used
exclusively for passing.
Page 1: Done Right, E-Learning Localization Can Save Millions Copyright © Acclaro 2012

2. The cost of re-doing what was already in the market was about $1 million, and it took 18
months to completely fix the localization issues.
How do you prevent a disaster like this from happening? Do it right the first time. You can never
be too careful with localization. Choose a translation partner you trust, and educate yourself on
the process and some tips from experts, such as avoiding string concatenation in your original
product and making font properties customizable.
You can also minimize costs by following best practice authoring processes, limiting the use of
video, and making sure the translation firm you select makes good use of translation technology
such as terminology management and translation memory software.
Because it's all worth it in the long run! The future for e-learning looks great; the industry is
projected to reach $107.3 billion in value by 2015, according to a recent report. Primary growth
drivers behind its success are cited as being cost reductions, flexibility and the needs of
dispersed, global workforces — all factors that spun out of the recession but are not likely to go
away anytime soon.
Image attribution: woody1778a
About Acclaro: Acclarois an international translation and localization company that
helps the world’s leading brands succeed across cultures. We specialize inwebsite
translation, marketing campaigns, documents and software localization to give clients
an authentic voice in key language markets.
North America: 1-866-468-5106 Worldwide: +1-914-468-0222
www.acclaro.comsales@acclaro.com
Page 2: Done Right, E-Learning Localization Can Save Millions Copyright © Acclaro 2012