Ch7_Navigating e-learning localization

NAVIGATING E-LEARNING

LOCALIZATION

A practical guide for translators, instructional designers and e-learning specialists

07 chapter

Streamlining e-learning localization with AI: innovative tools for smarter, faster, and more cost-effective multilingual content

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NAVIGATING E-LEARNING

LOCALIZATION A practical guide for translators, instructional designers and e-learning specialists

01

Preparing e-learning materials for a global audience.

Internationalization, neutralization, translation and localization

02

Who’s involved in the process? Key roles and stakeholders

03

Step 0. Internationalization. Laying the foundation for effective e-learning localization

04

Localization workflow Step 1. Finalizing the source version Step 2. Extracting content for translation Step 3. Translation Step 4. Reengineering

05

Quality assurance: ensuring the accuracy of localization

06

Common challenges and possible solutions in e-learning localization

07

Streamlining e-learning localization with AI: innovative tools for smarter, faster, and more-cost effective multilingual content

07.

STREAMLINING E-LEARNING LOCALIZATION WITH AI: INNOVATIVE TOOLS FOR SMARTER, FASTER, AND CHEAPER MULTILINGUAL CONTENT

Some platforms also offer the possibility to create your custom avatar. So here is an idea to finally get that get explanatory video you wanted to do with your very busy subject matter experts: get your SMEs on video – a couple of minutes is enough - and create their avatar directly on the platform.

Their voice is also cloned to any of the languages available.

Many AI-powered tools that are not primarily thought to localization can actually be very helpful to improve the accessibility of your e-learning materials and greatly contribute to your internationalization and localization processes.

Please note that I am not encouraging to create “e-learning video with AI within minutes” – as their usual marketing moto goes on their websites. Video creation for e-learning is a complex process that requires good instructional design and a lot of creativity for the video to be impactful and meaningful. Personally, I have never been able to create a high-quality e-learning video “within minutes” but now with AI some projects can afford to have video.

AI video and voice-over generator You can use these AI platforms to create video with high-quality voice-over in many languages, making it easy to adapt multimedia content for localized e-learning modules. This means that instead of hiring multiple voice actors, AI-generate voices can mimic the tone and style needed for the course, offering a more cost-effective solutions. It is easier to review and update your multimedia content since making changes doesn’t require schedule time with the actors and can be done straightaway in a couple of minutes. The large number of accents available within the same language can also be an interesting feature to consider.

Now, this type of tool is suitable for specific types of video – mainly explanatory, knowledge-based – but does not seem to be a good fit for more realistic videos where emotions and specific nuances play a key role.

I have personally worked with Synthesia and there are more are more tools available everyday: WellSaid Labs, Animaker, Elai.io

Automated subtitle generation and synchronization Another area where AI can be a major asset is generating subtitles, synching them, and transcribing videos, in particular when those multimedia features have landed on your project without meeting the required accessibility standards and you are facing hours of manual transcript and captioning.

AI-driven tools like Descript or Rev can automatically generate subtitles for video content, providing another layer of accessibility in e-learning. These tools not only transcribe audio but also align subtitles with voice-over and spoken content in real time. Subtitles can then be automatically translated into multiple languages, helping ensure that video content is accessible to learners worldwide.

Please note that the accuracy of these tools is never 100% and you still need to review the output.

Nonetheless, automating this process reduces the manual effort that usually takes long hours to complete.