Whether we are talking about traditional learning (in a typical physical classroom setup) or remote learning (in a virtual classroom), the focus is always on the flow of information and knowledge from tutors to learners. How this information is communicated can vary significantly, depending on the domain, background, and experience of the participants, technical restrictions, and specific requirements.
Our own professional mentality revolves around lifelong education and soft and hard skill acquisition, so we understand the complexity of education and e-learning localization. It can involve just about any field of expertise (from medical to financial, IT, gaming, business, and legal content). Subject matter experts are often involved in the localization process, as their in-depth understanding is needed both for creating Style Guides and Glossaries at project kickoff and for the final functional testing or linguistic signoff.
Education and e-Learning localization requires flexibility and the know-how to handle different types of files and CAT tools. This also means being able to guide the customer concerning the appropriate authoring tools for creating their e-learning content and for troubleshooting bugs. Known issues, like accented characters (not supported by some platforms) or the fact that some languages are much lengthier than English, need to be addressed at project kickoff; otherwise, we run the risk of overlapping or corrupted text appearing on screen.
Excellent handling of tokens, placeholders, and variables and a solid knowledge of Software and User Interface localization are a must. Education and e-learning localization also calls for creativity if we are to convey the intended message accurately, coherently, and in the most suitable way based on the learning goals (which can also vary significantly).
