Captivate - Importing multiple languages

[designerc64378506]

Hi All,

I have a captivate project that I need translated into 7 languages that has a language selection menu on the first slide. I managed to find a tutorial on Google which led me to use the export project captions and closed captions option in captivate and then to update all the text with the new languages.

In the tutorial I found, it shows that when he imports the updated word file the new captions are imported on top of the original text, however when I import my updated text it just replaces the original text with the new text... How do I get captivate to keep the original text and import the new text? then use actions to hide and show the right captions when the language is selected?

Here is the link to the tutorial I used: Adobe Captivate 8 - How to Create a Multiple Language Option e-Learning Course with Language re-set ...

Many thanks,

Mark

[Lilybiri]

The link adds in an error code for me.

There must be some misunderstanding: the original text will be replaced  by the translated text on import.

Captivate has no automatic multilingual feature at all (like Joomla). The best approach (also because of file size) is to create the course in a separate file for each language, and use a 'main' dashboard file that uses buttons to open the appropriate file. Or, if you work with a LMS, to let the LMS take care of it.

[designerc64378506]

Thanks for the reply.

well that would save me a lot of time as I have already created the separate languages in separate captivate projects. How do i create a main dashboard file that links to the other captivate projects?

Thanks!

[Lilybiri]

Easiest way would be to create one slide with multiple buttons, labeled with the language name, and use the command 'Open URL of File', pointing to the URL of that published language file.

[RodWard]

Need to be careful when doing something like this if you are intending to deliver it from an LMS because according to the SCORM standard each individual SCO is supposed to be self-contained and should not link directly to another SCO.  The LMS is supposed to handle the launching of each SCO.

Ideally the LMS itself should provide a way for the learner to select their preferred language and then AFTER making that selection the only courses they would see are the ones that are in their nominated language. 

However, if your LMS is not that good, then you may need to publish out multiple language versions of the course from translated CPTX files and then use a customised imsmanifest.xml file that points to each language.  I have never personally needed to do this, but I have seen others on this forum that have mentioned they did so.  Hopefully one of them will chime in with a suggested format for the manifest required to pull this off.

[designerc64378506]

Hi Rod,

Thanks for your reply.

Do you suggest attempting something like this? https://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-development/steps-to-create-scorm

Thanks!

[RodWard]

Not really.  What that link is describing is a multi-SCORM e-learning course where all of the modules belong to the same course, but the learner would usually be expected to complete all modules.  Captivate has a Multi-SCORM Packager tool that allows you to merge SCO modules created from separate CPTX files into a single large multi-SCO zip archive that uses a single compound imsmanifest.xml file which the LMS can understand.  The LMS uses the details in this manifest to create the course Table of Contents in the SCORM Player.

What you seem to be describing is somewhat different.  You DO need to have multiple SCOs in a single package that all belong to the same course, but they are essentially just the same SCO in different languages and the learner would only be expected to complete those SCOs that belong to their chosen language in order to successfully complete the course.

With the link you included, there is still no mention of a mechanism that enables the learner to select their language of choice.  That would likely be done with the initial module the learner is offered, but then AFTER making that choice, they need to ONLY see modules in the selected language.

[bee5309]

I have  a very similar question and wonder if you have worked with your LMS to determine how to set this up.  I've tried the caption route and it doesnt work very well especially with so many languages.  I didnt even get to Chinese and Japanese before I gave up.  

I also tried a top file but as you said, it doesnt work well with SCORM files.  I also tried the aggregator but it requires all languages to be taken before marking a course complete in the LMS.  

let me know if you know where in the LMS this setting may be.  I am using Workday learning

[Reinhard Fröhlich-Steiner]

Hi!
I have the same issue - one elearning course including several modules, each module ends with a quiz that unlocks the next module - now the customer wants me to add multiple languages but within the same scorm file... Since this thread is a bit older already - do you have any recommendation how I can accomplish this?
Since the course has about 100 slides, and more captions than I can count, the solution with advanced actions and renaming eacht caption for each language, as presented here Adobe Captivate 8 - How to Create a Multiple Language Option e-Learning Course with Language re-set ... is not an option for me...

Thank you

[RodWard]

I would NOT be suggesting you try to build multiple languages into the same SCORM package file.  The usual way to accommodate multiple languages is to create copies of your CPTX files, export all the text to translation documents (MS Word or XML) send these off for translation and then reimport them again when they come back translated.  There is always still some tidying up to do, but that gives you complete modules in just one language each.  If you have a user base that is from multiple languagse, would be looking into whether your LMS can give people the option of choosing their preferred language and then direct them to courses in that language from then on. 

Trying to build multiple languages into the same SCORM file is going to bloat the size of the module and potentially make it unstable as it grows larger and larger.   And if you have localised audio files as well, that just contributes to the complexity and file size.

[Reinhard Fröhlich-Steiner]

Thank you Rod!
The Course has only text and pictures, no video, no audio at all. And the customer informed me that other elearning provider easily create scorms with multiple languages, so I am kind of "behind"... Since I didn't find yet a possibility to add more than 1 language at a time to a course, my workaround would be to copy the whole bunch of slides once for each language and create one "choose your language" slide in the beginning.

In this way I can export the captions and closed captions once and tell the translation agents from where to where they need to translate it to german, then to english the next pages of the doc and so on...

Since I am kind of under the pressure to compete with others who seem to do this easily, I have limited options...

[RodWard]

If there is another provider "easily creating SCORMs with multiple languages" then by all means find out which authoring tool they are using.  Because I am not aware of any tool on the market that does this.

My guess is that they are probably creating individual SCORM modules in different languages and then bundling them together in a Multi-SCORM course where the specific language is selected at the start and then ONLY those SCORMs are required to be completed.

You're going to find that it's not quite as simple as just multiplying the slides in a single module and exporting with instructions.  For example, there is only one skin (Table of Contents and playbar) for each CPTX project output.  Which language will that be?