Mobile e-learning technology is rapidly developing across the world. But, how can you reach these millions of potential customers? The answer lies in e-learning translation services.
E-learning progress in lockdown
Many countries around the globe have been imposing lockdown restrictions for several months. However, while the idea of spending more time at home may seem unwelcome at first, there have been many surprising educational benefits.
With growing e-learning technologies, people everywhere are taking advantage of their extra time to develop new skills. Whether they are developing their careers, enhancing their education, or simply starting a new hobby, e-learning is becoming increasingly appealing for both educators and learners alike.
Mobile learning: the future of e-learning
As technology advances, so does user demand. The number of smartphone users is steadily increasing, hitting an estimated 3.8 billion people worldwide by 2021. Today, users expect mobile-friendly versions of software as well as stand-alone mobile apps to boost their learning.
Mobile learning builds on the benefits of e-learning. Traditional e-learning has the obvious advantages of being accessible worldwide and being cost-effective for large-scale projects. It also allows educators to be at the forefront of learning development by incorporating the latest technologies and pooling resources from across the internet.
Mobile e-learning (also known as m-learning) expands on this by being fully portable. Students now have the ability to take their classroom anywhere they go and dip in and out of lessons as they please. This makes mobile e-learning unobtrusive. It becomes integrated into students’ daily routines as they open their learning apps on their commutes or in the comfort of their own homes.
What is mobile app localization?
However, in order for your e-learning app to be internationally successful, it needs to be consistent across different countries. This is important for both the brand image and user experience.
User-focused and culturally appropriate
Firstly, the content needs to be linguistically and culturally appropriate for the user. If your content looks foreign, it is likely that your users will feel it is less relevant to them.
This cannot be achieved through translation alone. Simply changing content from one language to another does not account for cultural differences. Content needs to be tailored to local cultures while keeping the original meaning and tone of voice. This is called localization.
Retaining brand identity
Secondly, localization can help preserve the brand identity that the company has built so carefully. A company’s image is hinged on how it presents itself to its clients and localization can help present a brand to users in a way that is relevant to them.
Mobile app localization includes:
- Layout and Visuals
- Modifying content in line with local consumer habits
- Using correct formatting for currencies, dates, addresses, numbers, etc.
- Adapting phrasing and cultural references
- And more….
Duolingo: Successful e-learning mobile localization
Successful e-learning and mobile app localization open the gateway to new markets.
A prime example of this is Duolingo. The company has achieved wide-reaching success by expanding into international markets across the globe.
Duolingo has released a localization style guide for anyone working on their platforms, specifying that the friendly tone of the app needs to be kept through all languages while using appropriate words and local terminology.
By outperforming the competition, companies can also reach new audiences by rising to the top on e-learning platforms such as Khan Academy, Udemy, edX, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning, to name a few. This carefully localized e-learning content will become top-quality material that customers can put their trust in.
Why Future Trans?
At Future Trans, we pride ourselves on providing expert, accredited translation services into Middle Eastern and African languages. As an ISO 17100 certified services provider, our localization teams have been working with clients from around the world for over 25 years.
We are industry professionals in content analysis and in regional instruction approaches. E-learning localization requires a seamless transition into the new geographic market, which is why our team of experts provides clients with all-round e-learning language services, including testing and engineering.
We always like to hear about new projects. Get in touch to tell us about what you need.
