Do you translate your eLearning modules for a global audience?

[AnotherMe]

How does an eLearning developer who uses Adobe Captivate go about making sure the courses they create can be translated for a global audience?

Thank you!

[RodWard · Accepted solution]

Captivate allows all text elements in the project to be exported out for translation into another language.  When the translation is completed, you just take a copy of the previous original language project and then import the translation document to create the new language version in text form.  If there are audio or video components, these will need to be translated and re-recorded for import as well.

Bottom line is that each new language version will require another CPTX project file.  That is the way that translation is normally performed.

If you are only talking about one other language (beside the original) then there is also the possibility of having the alternate language available in the same project with language versions accessed via interactivity.  But such and arrangement has a number of potential issues that usually make it too complex to be practical. 

[Lilybiri]

I have created courses which were needed in multiple languages. It was one using a main project which offered the choices of language, and called a daughter project in the chosen language. Captions were translated using the workflow described by Rod, either using Word or XML as intermediate. Audio needs to be created for each project and that often did lead to editing the synchronisation because the audio files can be different in length. Same for Closed captioning if you need them. 

If it is a short project, no audio, it is possible to have some language versions in one file. I created an example of a quiz embedded in this blog post:

What is Branch Aware? - eLearning (adobe.com)

[cynthiac28]

Are you referring to Classic version or New Captivate version? Any ideas, resources, or help on how to go about translating files for New Captivate? 

[Lilybiri]

I am busy with a blog post about localisation of quizzes in the new Captivate. It is a lot more cumbersome than I expected compared with previous versions.  Several of my requests to streamline the process bit more are in the backlog. Localisation is many steps backward: no possibility to import/export Preferences which had almost all what you needed for translation in quizzes. Loss of master slides which were also important, loss of Branch aware, of the on enter slide events for quiz and score slides. Not being able to add custom states to feedback messages, to quiz buttons.... The list with features lacking grows almost daily. It is so frustrating, I have spent already too many hours on that blog.