Working with Articulate 360 Localization: Webinar Highlights

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You guessed it! This month, our focus is all on Articulate 360 Localization, and the great news is it’s now an add-on to your existing Articulate 360 subscription. With Localization, course creators can translate Storyline 360 and Rise 360 content into more than 70 languages.

We recently hosted a webinar on this exciting new feature. If you missed the session or just want a refresher, this blog post breaks down all the highlights. Whether you’re new to localization or an experienced designer working with global teams, these tips will help make your process smoother and create fantastic learning experiences in any language! So, let’s get to it and learn how to Work with Articulate 360 Localization.

Localization in Articulate 360 with the Articulate Trainer

Tip 1: Be Translation-Ready

Translating in just a few clicks is exciting, we know! But before you hit that translate button, you’ll need to make sure your course is ready to be translated. Here’s what you need to consider:

Keep your terminology consistent. Using the same terms throughout your course makes it easier for translation validators to maintain accuracy and avoid confusion.
No text in images, please! Make sure all your text is in editable fields, not embedded in images. This way, every single word can be easily translated, and nothing gets left behind.
Leave room for growth. Did you know some languages need more space than others? What fits perfectly in English might overflow in Spanish or German. So, leave some extra breathing room (white space) on your Storyline slides. This keeps your design looking sharp and prevents translated text from bursting out of its boundaries.
Avoid emojis or regional-specific jargon. Emojis and local lingo might not translate well – or worse, they could be misunderstood or even offensive in other cultures. Stick to clear, universal language to ensure your message is always well-received.
Think about your images. Just like words, images can have different meanings across cultures. Take a moment to consider if your visuals resonate with everyone. If you’re using Storyline 360, you can create triggers to change the state of an image based on the course language. However, if you’re working in Rise 360, remember that changing an image will update it across all language versions of the course.

Once your course is ready, translating it is easy. Let’s find out how to do it!

Translating a Course in Storyline 360

1. In Storyline 360, go to File > Localization and select Translate Course.

2. In the Translate Course dialog box, you’ll make a few key selections:

Confirm the source language
Select one or more target languages
Adjust the language formality (if the target languages support that option)

3. Finish by selecting the Translate button.

Translating a Course in Rise 360

To translate a Rise 360 course, go to the main dashboard where all of your content lives.

Hover over the course you’d like to translate, and then select the ellipsis in the upper-right corner.
Select the Translate option.

Then, select your source language, target languages, and language formality.
Finish up by selecting the Translate button.

Note: In Rise 360, only course owners and course managers can initiate course translations and manage languages.

Tip 2: Fix Any Layout Issues

Once you’ve translated your course, the next step is to check for any layout issues. Sometimes, when text is translated, it can expand or shrink, causing things to look a little off. For example, you might notice text that spills out of its box or extra scrollbars appearing.

The good news is that Storyline 360 has a Layout Issue Finder specifically designed for multi-language projects. It’ll often pop up automatically after you translate your course, but you can also find it by going to File > Localization.

With the Layout Issue Finder, every issue is listed. Simply double-click an issue to jump directly to it in your project. Once it’s fixed, it’ll clear itself from the list.

Now, you might be wondering…what about Rise 360? Well, there isn’t a Layout Issue Finder for Rise 360 courses. That’s because Rise 360 is designed to be fully responsive, meaning all your text-based content will automatically adjust and look great, no matter what language you translate it into. Pretty neat, huh?

Tip 3: Validate the Translated Languages

Even with an AI-driven localization tool, translation isn’t a one-step process. Quality assurance remains a critical step, especially when you’re dealing with nuanced language, culture references, or complex layouts.

During our webinar, we demonstrated how you can invite a language validator to check and correct your translated content. It’s a great way to ensure accuracy and quality!

Want to invite a validator to your course? Here’s how:

1. First, publish your course to Review 360, making sure to include all the languages you want validated.

2. Once you get confirmation that your course has successfully published to Review 360, head over to your Review 360 dashboard.

3. You’ll spot your course as a single tile in your dashboard. Select the tile to open it up.

4. To send it off to your language validators, simply select the language on the left side that needs attention, then hit the Request Review button at the top.

5. Pop in your validator’s email address, and you’re all set!

After your validator has shared their suggested text changes, you can easily import their suggestions right back into your course.

Note: Translation validators do not need to be Articulate 360 license holders, but they will need to enter their email address when validating your translated content.

Tip 4: Decide How to Publish

Once your course has been validated, you’re ready to publish! When publishing for your Learning Management System, you’ll have the option to publish your course as a single LMS package, or publish separate LMS packages for each language.

When you publish as a single LMS package, learners are able to choose their course language in a drop-down menu prior to launching the course content.

Note: If you’re publishing your course for the web, you’ll always receive one HTML package containing all languages.

We hope these tips are helpful as you get started on creating multi-language courses in Articulate 360! Remember that the webinar is available in our webinar archive, and if you’d like to share your insights on localizing e-learning content, feel free to reach out! We’d love to hear from you.