The growing e-Learning Industry: Why translation is key
As 2020 has wrapped up leaving many people with mixed feelings and forced changes in how we work, there’s no better time to look back at some of the biggest tech industry trends of the year.
One industry that has continued to see colossal growth is the global e-Learning industry. Having been valued at $14.20 billion for 2019, the market is expected to rocket to the dizzying heights of $49.60 billion by 2024.
Indeed, from Forbes to the Financial Times, every news outlet is rushing to analyze the key factors behind the e-Learning boom and what the sector would look like in 2020. Now that 2020 has ended on a sour note, but even with multiple industries hit hard by the pandemic, the projected growth of the e-Learning industry until 2024 still racked up to $28.36 billion.
But, for now, let us get back to basics. What exactly is e-Learning? What does the growth of the global e-Learning industry mean for businesses? And how does translation fit into this exciting future?
Read on to discover the top reasons why translation could be key for the growing e-Learning industry.
e-Learning: What is it?
At its most basic, e-Learning is any type of learning that is delivered digitally. According to its dictionary definition, e-Learning is “learning done by studying at home using computers and courses provided on the internet.”
The concept of ‘distance learning’ is, by now, one that is probably quite familiar to many of us. Before then, even not as widely adopted, universities and educational institutions like the Open University have long integrated digital e-Learning technology in distance learning. Now with the unstoppable push of the pandemic, e-Learning has become standard practice for students and teachers alike – particularly since internet access has become so widespread.
In recent years, unsurprisingly, e-Learning has also become a mainstay for global companies, too, allowing online courses and modules to become a more cost-effective and time-saving solution to training and educating staff.
Although e-Learning has already been around for some time, the e-Learning industry of today is almost unrecognizable from its roots, and this is all down to technological advancements.
The e-Learning industry today
Today, the eLearning industry is a paragon of brand new, cutting-edge technology. What’s more, it continues to be driven by creative, innovative trends.
For example, since 2019, AI has been cemented as a cornerstone of e-Learning. AI can analyze learner behaviors, such as a learner’s strengths and weaknesses. It can then personalize learning by “recommending certain modules for the learner.” In short, AI attempts to offer modules that will “fill gaps in the learners' knowledge.” What is more, help and support can be delivered through conversational interfaces like chatbots.
Another e-Learning trend since the 2019 booming of the industry, is the rise of mobile learning. In our commuter-heavy society, learners are increasingly turning away from computers and laptops towards their smartphones, meaning e-Learning has had to quickly adapt and optimize for mobile devices.
However, the question remains… What do these e-Learning trends and recent innovations have to do with translation?
Translation and e-Learning: What can translation achieve?
The e-Learning Industry website predicted that e-Learning was to become “more learner-centric” than ever in 2020, and will “continue to deliver personalized, accessible and engaging e-Learning.”
With COVID-19 taking a grip over the world, more and more organizations around the globe are forced to rethink how they conduct business. As working from home becomes commonplace and traveling is limited, an increasing number of global companies turned to e-Learning to deliver training content and cut training costs.
But, if you’re a global company offering e-Learning to your staff, there is one crucial element you may be neglecting: Language.
No matter how personalized and engaging your e-Learning documents, course material, and brochures are, they will not have the desired impact unless you do adapt this one thing. They must develop with an international learner base in mind, and that can only be achieved through professional translation.
Indeed, quality is king in e-Learning translation in particular. The science of learning is complex, but one thing is certain: the learner must be invested and engaged in their learning for the course to be successful in the long-term.
This means that, with the objective of winning over your audience’s interest and attention, your e-Learning copy and content should be accurate, idiomatic, and localized to the learner’s native language. This is particularly important not only for companies with multilingual teams but also for those that are multiregional too.
Translation and e-Learning: Quality is key
Moreover, in order to achieve this level of quality, e-Learning copy will need time and attention dedicated to it, rather than prioritizing prices, urgency, or the speed of turnaround. This means investing in an experienced professional translation partner. They should understand the e-Learning industry and its complexities, as well as your company’s own requirements.
On top of that, with a variety of multimedia content being incorporated in e-Learning courses nowadays, the language service provider also needs to have the technical capability to localize the different components or even produce multilingual content from scratch.
Indeed, the first step to achieving international success as a company is building a capable, knowledgeable international team. Translating your e-Learning material will ensure that everyone is on the same page with regards to your company’s long-term goals, as well as boasting the skill set required to work toward the goals.
Are you looking for an e-Learning language services partner? Do you require your e-Learning material to have the same impact in other languages as it does in the original?
Look no further than Wolfestone, professional language services provider and e-Learning industry experts.
Need advice on translating your e-Learning documents, courses, or modules? Have videos in need of multilingual voiceover or subtitles? We can offer you our years of experience combined with multimedia localization expertise to ensure that your e-Learning content can go global. Get in touch today to find out about the Wolfestone difference.
