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Gone Fishing

Gone Fishing

Translated your course into different languages but not sure how to implement them in Articulate Storyline?

Sam Harold reveals the wonders of Storyline’s inbuilt language tools...

Hello again, fellow Storyliners! This issue, I’m going to show you how you can utilise the inbuilt language translation tools of Articulate Storyline to modify all the language used in your course from one convenient file. Before you get too excited, these tools do not do the translation for you - you will still need either an automatic language translation tool or a language specialist to complete that step. After you’ve got that in place, then you can read on and I’ll show you how to export and upload those translation files for your courses.

First, open up the course you want to translate. Under File > Translation you can see the different translation options available.

Tip: It can be useful to duplicate the course first, so you retain a backup. You can do this by saving your course as a new file, or by copying and pasting the file in your file manager.

Selecting XLIFF will allow you to export the text from your course into an XLIFF file. This file type can be useful for using computer programs or a professional translator to translate your course. They will require this file to make the edits.

Alternatively, you can export the text into a Word document. This can be easier to edit for yourself as

Word is a standard format. The rest of the walkthrough will assume you are exporting into a Word document…

Tip: You will require a specialised computer programme to modify the XLIFF yourself, if you are asking a third party to help you with this translation, enquire which they would prefer.

Your exported Word file should look like the example below. The first page provides an overview of the project, following this is each slide in order of appearance. You will be provided with a Preview Image to help you identify the page.

The ID column is used by the software to identify the text, do not modify this!

You will use this file to make the translations, by modifying the Translation column so that it matches the new text you desire.

Once complete, you will save the file as the same format, and use the Import function to update the text in your Storyline.

Proceed through the file using the Source Text, Type and Preview Image to help inform your translations.

The Type column is used to describe where the text is found, Source Text describes the original text.

The Translation column is the new text. Once complete you will save the file in the same format, and then Import it into the Storyline course.

When your file is ready, make sure it is saved in the same format before returning to the Storyline file.

To import the file, go to File > Translation > Import.

After selecting Import, Storyline will display your file manager. Locate your newest language file, and select it. Storyline will begin to read the file, if all goes well you should see the Translation Import Successful popup.

Your text should now be updated, well done! You can repeat this process for any other courses or languages you desire.

Tip: You should review the course after importing the file. Different languages can vary in text length. You may need to adjust the placement of items on your screen if you want to ensure the pages display correctly.

Articulate Rise also provides a similar translation process, as do many other authoring tools. To help expand your awareness, we will briefly show the process for Rise.

Tip: Rise does not allow us to export to Word, only to XLIFF, so if you are unfamiliar or unable to edit XLIFF files, you will need to look at other options

The translation options for Rise, are found on the main landing page for the Rise package > Settings > Translations.

Here you can see the steps for translation illustrated. The Three step process can be outlined as follows:

  • Step 1: Make a duplicate of the course

  • Step 2: Export course text as an XLIFF file from the duplicated course

  • Step 3: Import translated text

Tip: Your exported XLIFF file will only work for the course you downloaded it from! If you want to translate a course in Rise using this method, make sure you use the XLIFF from the course you plan to upload new translations to, otherwise, the file will not work as the IDs will not match!

You can duplicate a Rise course easily from the main Rise page. Use the top-right button (the ellipses) on the course you want to duplicate.

Select the option duplicate and provide the new name, such as Course Name (Spanish). Select Duplicate when ready.

You can now open your new course, and return to the suitable settings page. Settings > Translations.

Use the Export XLIFF file, under Step 2. This will provide you with an XLIFF file which can be used by appropriate computer applications to produce new translations.

Once your new XLIFF file is ready, you can return to this page and select the Import Translated Text button under Step 3.

Congratulations, your translations should now be applied!
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