Content Production: eLearning

Thirty years ago, bad translations on the internet weren’t evaluated for accuracy, nor did they tailor to specific audiences. However, in today’s globalised world, requirements are getting tougher.

eLearning is growing rapidly, and as people interact with each other from different countries, it is increasingly more vital that language be precise and relevant for target audiences. In fact, success markets in the global eLearning sphere must distribute translations that are more than just grammatically perfect – the content must use messages in a natural way, no matter the language, while taking the local culture into account. They must use transcreation services.

Because the internet is exceptionally noisy, eLearning modules that resonate on the local level in terms of culture and language will create organic trust in the market. Because people tend to gravitate to others who think and act similarly to themselves, simply focusing on grammatical translation without considering any cultural aspects loses a great deal of messaging power. This can make the difference between choosing one eLearning platform over another.

People also tend to interact with content that particularly suits them or peaks their personal interests, and these are moulded by their community. So, what is engaging in one market may not be useful in another market, even though on the surface level, they seem to work in the same way. Because trends move quickly, the time it takes to create the correct messaging may set the line between success and disappointment.

”The advantages from voice over translations over subtitles are noticeable, especially in eLearning. Watching a video in a language and simultaneously reading texts in another is not ideal.”

Better Than Subtitling

Voice over translation is more impactful in comparison to subtitling. When reading subtitles, viewers must focus on reading the words on the screen and may miss other important details in the video, like body language, background actions or any other information that should be gleaned from the actual story. In terms of eLearning training modules, understanding new information without the ability to focus on visual cues can be detrimental to learning. Voice over translation guides the viewer through the video and works as a complement to the visual scenes.

Subtitle translations can also pose problems due to the fact that word length differs in various languages. In some cases, the intended sentence may not fit onto the screen. Thinking about eLearning once again, oftentimes the content has technical language or language based on specific content, which may increase or decrease the subtitle text substantially. If the subtitles don’t match the pacing of the video, the message may not be clear, and elements, such as the tone and mood, might also be missed by the viewer.

Stands Out Over Transcripts

The advantages from voice over translations over subtitles are noticeable, especially in eLearning. Watching a video in a language and simultaneously reading texts in another is not ideal. When the viewer is left to follow a transcript written in their native language, but listen and watch content written in English, for example, they are not accessing the content in a clear and reasonable way – which is problematic for the learner and their employers in the long run. If voice over translations were implemented in the eLearning modules, viewers can access the information more easily and, in turn, learn organically.