NAVIGATING E-LEARNING LOCALIZATION
A practical guide for translators, instructional designers and e-learning specialists
Quality assurance:ensuring the quality of e-learning localization chapter
NAVIGATING E-LEARNING
LOCALIZATION
A practical guide for translators, instructional designers and e-learning specialists
Preparing e-learning materials for a global audience. Internationalization, neutralization, translation and localization
Who’s involved in the process? Key roles and stakeholders
Step 0. Internationalization. Laying the foundation for effective e-learning localization
Localization workflow
Step 1. Finalizing the source version
Step 2. Extracting content for translation
Step 3. Translation
Step 4. Reengineering
Quality assurance: ensuring the accuracy of localization
Common challenges and possible solutions in e-learning localization
Streamlining e-learning localization with AI: innovative tools for smarter, faster, and more-cost effective multilingual content
05.
QUALITY ASSURANCE:
ENSURING THE ACCURACY OF E-LEARNING LOCALIZATION
Quality assurance (QA) is the critical final step in the localization process—your last opportunity to ensure everything is accurate, consistent, and culturally relevant before the localized content reaches your learners. You can follow every step of the localization workflow flawlessly, but if QA isn’t done properly, the entire project risks falling short of its goals.
This chapter identifies the key aspects of QA, from linguistic and cultural reviews to testing multimedia elements and accessibility compliance. It also provides practical guidance on how to approach QA effectively, ensuring your localized learning solution resonates with your audience and upholds the highest standards of quality. Additionally, the chapter includes a QA checklist, which can be downloaded and edited to suit the specific needs of your project.
1. Post-localization review: how to conduct linguistic and cultural reviews
• Linguistic accuracy ensures that grammar, spelling, and syntax are correct in the target language, while also maintaining tone and meaning. According to localization QA standards, it’s important to verify that idiomatic expressions, if any, and technical terms are translated properly so they resonate with the target audience.
• Cultural relevance is essential, as errors here could offend or alienate learners. Localization QA involves checking for cultural missteps, such as inappropriate color schemes, symbols, or cultural references that might be acceptable in one country but offensive in another. These elements should always align with the customs and expectations of the learners.
2. Testing with target audiences: getting feedback from learners (and trainers whenever applicable)
• It’s not just about linguistic accuracy; testing with real users helps catch cultural mismatches that even professionals might miss. Pilot testing with a group of learners (and trainers) from the target region provides valuable feedback on how well the localized content works in practice.
• User testing is essential for understanding how learners interact with the localized e-learning module and whether they face navigation or learning engagement difficulties.
3. Checking multimedia, UI, and learning experience for consistency across languages and devices
• Testing multimedia elements (audio, video, graphics) is a key part of ensuring the localization process doesn’t lead to functional issues. Text expansion in some languages, for instance, can break the layout or cut off parts of the UI. This kind of functionality needs to be validated to ensure consistent navigation and user experience across different language versions.
• The same applies to different devices. Ideally you would have used a responsive authoring tool. However, testing it on tables, mobile phones and computers is required, in particular if your target audience might be using more than one type of device.
• Special attention must be given to synchronization when dealing with voice-overs and subtitles in localized content. Subtitles must be in sync with the audio, and multimedia elements should work seamlessly with the course’s overall design and objectives.
Hard truths from my e-learning localization projects
Case study: conducting QA in a language i couldn’t read
• About the project
This project came to me during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when options were limited, and flexibility was key. It involved localizing e-learning modules from English into Arabic. While the topic and examples were universal and required no cultural adaptation, ensuring linguistic accuracy and usability posed a unique challenge—especially for me, as I don’t speak or read Arabic.
• The challenge
The biggest hurdle was conducting quality assurance when I couldn’t directly verify the accuracy of the localized content. As the project manager, I had to guarantee the quality of the learning solution, but the language barrier made this an uphill task.
• The solution
To overcome this challenge, I paired with a native Arabic speaker who had a strong understanding of the subject matter. I introduced them to Articulate Review
and provided a detailed checklist of aspects to consider during their review. This included instructions on identifying linguistic errors, layout issues, and potential functionality problems. While this approach worked well, it required extra time and effort from everyone involved.
• What I learned
This experience taught me one crucial lesson: as an e-learning project manager, I need to be able to guarantee the quality of the solution. If I can’t even read the target language, this becomes nearly impossible. While I’m glad I stepped up during the pandemic when choices were limited, I’ve since decided not to accept projects in languages I can’t read. It’s a boundary that ensures I can maintain the standards my clients expect.
Example of a QA checklist
On the next page you can find an example of a QA checklist for your e-learning localization project.
1. Linguistic and cultural review
Linguistic Accuracy:
• Have you checked for correct grammar, spelling, and syntax in the target language?
• Is terminology consistent across all modules?
• Have idiomatic expressions been adapted appropriately, rather than translated literally?
• Are technical terms translated in a way that the target audience will understand?
2. Functional and multimedia testing
Text expansion and layout:
• Has text expansion caused any layout or design issues, such as cut-off text or broken UI elements?
• Does the course display correctly for rightto-left (RTL) languages like Arabic?
Multimedia synchronization:
• Are subtitles (SRT/VTT) synchronized with voice-over and video content?
• Are localized audio and video elements functioning properly without distortion or mismatch?
Navigation and interactive elements:
• Have you tested all navigation buttons, menus, and links across different language versions?
• Do interactive elements (e.g., quizzes, assessments) function properly in the localized versions?
Font issues:
• Have you verified that fonts support the character sets of the target language, especially for non-Latin scripts like Arabic or Chinese?
• Does the font size adjust appropriately for languages with longer text (text expansion)?
• Are special characters and diacritics displaying correctly?
3. Accessibility and user experience accessibility compliance:
• Is alt-text for images localized for screen readers?
• Are subtitles available for all audio and video content?
• Are transcripts available for all audio and video content?
• Have you tested keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility to meet WCAG guidelines?
User testing:
• Have you gathered feedback from a small group of learners from the target culture to assess ease of understanding and engagement?
• Have you analyzed user feedback for usability issues or cultural mismatches?
4. Consistency and branding
Terminology and style:
• Is terminology consistent across all localized materials (e.g., “car” vs. “vehicle”)?
• Does the tone and style of the text align with the brand voice while adapting to local preferences (e.g., formal vs. informal)?
Brand alignment:
• Are visuals, logos, and branding elements consistent across all language versions, reinforcing the brand identity?
chapter coming next …
Common challenges and possible solutions in e-learning localization
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