A challenge that often follows closely on the successful launch of an online course is the demand for translated versions. Careful planning and design can make this a painless and relatively inexpensive demand to satisfy.

Novatek always asks clients if a course could conceivably be translated in the future. The answer is a very definite “No” more than half the time. This can reduce the development costs of a course, squeak a project through a pilot phase or address an immediate need. However, we have found that a substantial percentage of those same courses come back for translation anyway, and cost more overall as a result. We don't suggest that every course should be designed to support translation, but we hope we can provide a realistic backdrop to the decision process.

There are several ways that a course can be designed and optimized for rapid translation/localization. There are at least as many ways that a course designed to be a “one-off” can make translation more difficult and expensive.

Design factors that drive translation costs:

	English-only	Designed for Localization
Rapid-Development Tools	Optimal	Requires a copy for each language May require manual authoring adjustments to animations, timing. English version must be done first
Graphics	Embedded text in graphics is not a problem	Embedded text must dealt with and avoided in new graphics
Software Training	Screens can be captured and used as-is	Localized software must be captured for each language Non-localized software may require additional support for non-English learners
Narration	One-time cost to record and integrate with content	Multiple cost per language Integration per language may be required for steps and processes that are timed to key words/phrases
Planning	Simple, single-project project plan	Plan for both concurrent and linear development, manage dependencies
Programming	Options for rapid development or “simple” custom development	More advanced programming concepts and rigor required. A development framework and strict naming and data conventions are important.
Editing	Text, graphics changes require re-compiling and re-distributing. May require re-recording narration.	Graphics and Text can be changed externally and/or replaced without require re-compiling. Narration changes may or may not effect content to require re-compiling.

A schematic describing runtime structure of eLearning Content