Every training environment comes with its own set of considerations and restrictions. For my work, I need to keep in mind that my courses will almost always be delivered to an international audience, in any language. Here are a few things I have learned about designing for foreign languages.
Design for Translation
When you design a course for a foreign language audience, you must keep in mind always that every word must be editable. If courses are destined for multiple languages, then you should address in the design phase how they will be created so that every word, every flying image, every picture can be changed easily. Consider each component of the training that would be translated: student manuals, posters, videos, graphs, worksheets, assessments, even sign-in sheets.
Contact Translators in Early in the Process
If your company has identified the language(s) and translators you will be using, contact them during the design phase, or even the analysis phase, to discuss their techical capabilities. Someone will have to upload the translated text into the program. Many translation/localization firms will have the proper tools in-house to meet your needs easily. However, some freelance translators do not possess – or understand how to operate – less common software like WordPerfect, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Flash, etc., or they may be less-familiar with advanced features, such as PowerPoint’s slide masters and animation. Understand your translator’s available resources and familiarity with your software up-front. You can plan for additional project steps, if necessary, such as uploading text in-house and QC reviewing.
Keep it Editable
During the development phase, keep in mind that all graphics, including pictures, graphs, and charts, will have to be translated, as well. Keep all text in editable boxes, and do not insert graphics with text “hard coded” into the image. For example, in a recent course I created in PowerPoint, I wanted to label a pyramid, similar to the food pyramid. I created a pyramid in a grapics program (Fireworks), unlabeled. I then inserted the image into PP, and added my labels in text boxes. That way, a translator can replace the text in PP. I don’t add it in Fireworks because most translators I work with neither have access to Fireworks, nor understand how to work with layers, etc.
Embrace Unicode
When designing your courses, consider also whether the target languages are supported by your software. Some programs work easily with different character sets by including UTF-8 encoding, and only require that you obtain the font. Your translator usually can advise you, and provide font files as necessary. Researching your software capabilities for multilingual support before developing will save you a painful surprise down the road.
Plan for Translations Early
Consider translation needs for all of your materials, including audio and video. If you use a video clip, discuss how it will be translated up-front. Take a video clip embedded in a presentation, for example. You may simply choose to add open/closed captions under the video. If you are developing an instructor-led course, you may plan to have the instructor or interpreter translate the dialogue in class.
In the case of an audio file, you might hire voice talent to re-record the audio. Some large translation companies offer voice talent services in addition to translation. Here is one company I happen to have off-hand: Magnum Group (www.magnumgroupinc.com). As a disclaimer, I have never used this company; I just happen to have a pad of paper next to me with their name on it.
Left-to-Right or Right-to-Left?
Plan your visual formatting with other languages in mind. Would your text and images make sense in a language that reads right-to-left? Would you have to adjust your justification or the format of a form if the materials were written in Arabic or Hebrew? One way to test: change your text direction to right-to-left, then write a sample of your document text backwards. Create your materials so that any formatting adjustments can be made easily.
Languages are not One-Size-Fits-All
Finally, plan your formatting for longer text. When translated, text may be longer or shorter, so you should plan for extra room. Here’s how the phrase “My sister’s ring” (16 characters) looks in different languages:
Dutch: De ring van mijn zuster (23 characters)
Spanish: El anillo de mi hermana (23 characters)
Russian: кольцо моей сестры (19 characters)
Greek: δαχτυλίδι της αδελφής μου (25 characters)
In addition, Chinese is usually shorter than English. Have you ever seen (or created) a slide that was completely filled with text? Imagine what could happen if the slide were translated. Depending on the language, the text could condense or run off the screen. As a rule of thumb, format your materials so that they will look just as professional, and just as readable, if the English text were 30%-40% longer.
Of course, there are other issues to consider as well in design, such as cultural considerations, and the technical environment of the target audience. But I will save those for future entries. These tips should help to start you off right in your next international project.
Drop me a line if you have any tips to add to this list.
