7 Useful Tips to Choose an eLearning Translation Provider

English is successfully used as the Internet language, thanks to the way the world is connected through the global network. Yet, interestingly, when it comes to training your workforce, the geographically dispersed employees have language preferences of their own. To meet the training needs of your diversified workforce, eLearning translation service is the best option to consider.

Many multi-national companies have realized that their employees – despite being comfortable with English as a medium of communication – prefer their training resources to be in their native language.

This scenario of providing the training modules in their mother tongue is the rising challenge of the L&D team. To address the employee requirement, the only way is to resort to eLearning translation services.

In this blog, let us look at 7 useful factors in finding the best eLearning translation service provider.

Tip #1 – Check the vendor profile for eLearning Translation

As translation services has become a thriving business, you may find quite a number of translation service providers available online with their offerings. They provide information about their services through their website and they may also be connected to social media through some links.

Do a vast, thorough online search for the prospective partner, who can be suitable for your translation requirements. Check their profiles extensively, which provide you information about their:

• Experience
• Skillset
• Area of expertise
• Previous projects showcasing their sample work

If you have any requirement for e-learning translation services, request us for a proposal.

Tip #2 – Take assistance from a native speaker among your employees

As you may be dealing with a language you are not proficient in, it is difficult for you to judge a translation vendor through all the selection process. For this reason, take the help of a suitable native speaker, who you think, can support you in this task. It is sufficient if they have the minimum expertise over his native language.

Otherwise, it will be groping in the dark for you at different stages, especially when checking the translated samples of the vendor. And, this factor is pertinent with any language you consider for translation.

Tip #3 – ELearning Translation Vendor Experience vs. Domain Relevance

You may find some profiles of the eLearning translation vendors very attractive with long years of experience and impressive skillset. Yet, stick to your domain relevance while considering any profile.

Check if the vendor has already worked on any eLearning projects, and if so, on what type of projects. If you find any vendor suitable, communicate with them to seek details of the eLearning project they have worked on.

A translation vendor, with genuine eLearning experience, possesses the knowledge about eLearning training documents and the development process. Because, there months-long previous project experience would have gained them the required inputs about an eLearning translation project.

Tip #4 – Go through reviews and ratings for eLearning Translation

With smart phone at hand, today, we check reviews and ratings for every new thing we try – such as a restaurant, a movie or an online purchase. Then, why not for translation services! But, ensure that you rely on a reputed and dependable review and rating service.

If the vendor has been established for quite some time, they would in fact place testimonials, case studies and client responses in the company website, which are much useful to you, in forming an opinion about their suitability for your project.

Swift eLearning Services is an adept translation service provider with a decade-long relevant experience of serving Fortune 500 companies. Check here some of our client testimonials.

Tip #5 – Native Translators vs. Translators by Profession

As it is relevant to any language, translators fall into two categories – the native translators and the translators by profession. The widespread notion is that native translators can do a better job comparatively, because they are aware of the nuances of the language as it is their mother tongue.

However, it need not be true in all cases, because translators who choose the language as part of their profession might have worked hard for years and could have gained command over the language. They can, of course, compete with the native translators in providing good translation work. The best solution however is to check their respective work samples for quality before coming to a conclusion.

Tip #6 – Assign sample project work

The translation vendor might be having good experience and he might have worked in the eLearning domain. Yet, do not hesitate to assign him a piece of project work as a sample, which should contain the project-related jargon and technical terms. Also, brief the vendor about your target audience.

In fact, this is the most important exercise of all, as it reveals their true expertise and also the fact whether their services would match with your project requirements. The vendor may take 1-2 days as turn-around time for the assignment.

But, if you don’t spend enough time here and try to select a vendor hurriedly, you might end up in surprises once the project starts.

For quality-oriented eLearning translation and localization services, contact us for a free sample.

Tip #7 – Let the project cost match your budget

In finalizing a vendor, cost plays a crucial role. Some service providers are inordinately popular in the market, with their pricing rising high, compared to their competitors. This could happen because they might have worked well on their branding.

The point to note here is that, just because the pricing is high, the service need not be better compared to other service providers. The other service providers, who are offering less price can be doing the job at the same level of quality.

So, once you shortlist the vendors based on the submitted sample work, you can introduce ‘finances’ into the arena, at this time. Go according to your stipulated budget.

You can seek estimated quotes from the finalized vendors and compare them for any additional charges. You can also do negotiations, bringing into discussion the whole amount of work that you are going to offer them, as part of the project.

Final Thoughts

As discussed, as far as online training is concerned, English language has its limitations in meeting the needs of your diversified workforce. Follow the provided tips in choosing the best eLearning translation service provider to meet your training requirements.

Swift eLearning Services, with more than a decade-long experience is one of the trend setters in offering eLearning services, including eLearning Translation & Localization Services.

eLearning Translation – FAQs

Should I go only for those vendors who have translation services as their core business?

Generally, there is a high probability that well established service providers with having their core business in one ‘chosen area’ do offer quality services, compared to another ‘jack of all trades’. Yet, it all depends on the service provider. There are no such hard and fast rules. That said, we reiterate the importance of getting a sample assignment done to check their quality of services.

When I hear about translation in eLearning, I also hear about localization. How related are both the services?

In fact, very much related. That’s why they go hand-in-hand. Localization includes translation but not limited to it.

Localization goes beyond translation and takes care of different aspects such as course fonts, colors, graphics, audios, videos, idiomatic language, learning approaches, cultural references and region-specific nuances.

The primary purpose of localization is to suit the subtle cultural nuances of the specific native language you are dealing with.

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