Unless, of course, organizations release uncaptioned videos (aka, videos without subtitles). Then that valuable content is inaccessible to millions.

In fact, a study by the World Health Organization found that by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide will have some form of hearing loss* and subtitles will be the only way to reach them with video content.

Subtitles & Accessibility (They May Be Required for Your Industry)

In the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires public entities and places of public accommodation to make all materials accessible to people with disabilities. Organizations funded by tax dollars are in violation of the law if their videos do not include subtitles or captions.

Adding subtitles to videos is just the beginning of making them accessible. Subtitles translation is crucial to making sure those people can access your video content.

For example, if you’re creating materials in English and Spanish, but your videos are only captioned in English, you’re cutting off hard-of-hearing Spanish speakers from the value of what you have to say.

Captioning benefits people outside the deaf community as well. Some learners better understand and recall information if they both read it and hear it. Captions allow people to watch videos in noisy places where it’s hard to hear and in quiet places where it’s inappropriate to turn on the sound. And if your videos are available online, attaching text like a caption file makes it indexable by search engines.

Types of Subtitles

Subtitles fall into two categories: open (or burn-in) captions and closed captions like SRT (used in most movies and television programs) or VTT (used by online applications like YouTube and Vimeo). Open captions are a part of the onscreen video. They cannot be turned on or off.

Closed captions are generated by a separate text file, and viewers can choose to watch the video with or without subtitles. For the most part, however, closed captions are considered more accessible than burned-in captions.

Burned-in captions have their champions, particularly for social media videos. When a person who is hard-of-hearing or just prefers to browse without sound comes across a video while scrolling their feed, burned-in captions allow them to see what it’s about without having to click on it.

Assistive tools like screen readers can’t recognize text when it is part of an image. That means people with visual disabilities will not be able to access the captions. Viewers also cannot change the size of burned-in text to make it more legible or turn off the captions if they find them distracting.

When targeting a multi-lingual audience, closed captions offer the ability to translate a single video into multiple languages. Save a copy of the video file, attach a caption file in the desired language, and you’re done. Since burned-in captions are part of the image, you would need to create a new video file for each translation.

Syncing Subtitle Translations

Oftentimes, subtitle translations aren’t enough. The next step is to sync your subtitle translation so the captions line up with the video.

Have you ever turned on automatic closed captioning of a live television program like the nightly news? You probably noticed that it took a lot of work to follow the show using only the captions. AI-generated captions are out of sync with the video, which is confusing when the image changes before the text has caught up. And even when the audio and text are in the same language, misunderstood words and phrases can completely change the meaning of what’s being said.

When a video is not being broadcast live, you can avoid an out-of-sync subtitle translation by creating a transcript and attaching it as a time-coded caption file. The transcript accounts for all the spoken words in their proper context, and time coding makes sure the captions appear on the screen at the appropriate time.

Subtitle translation aims to give multilingual audiences the same high-quality experience as audiences reading captions in the source language. You can prepare your video for translation by creating and time coding the transcript in advance.

Subtitle Localization

Just like AI has a difficult time turning spoken words into relevant captions in the same language, it can’t be relied upon for accurate translations. Even uploading a transcript into translation software won’t give you a high-quality translation. The meaning of words and phrases can change dramatically depending on the cultural context.

When looking for a subtitle translation service, look for a translation agency that offers localization.

A Korean speaker may not know what it means to “take a rain check,” for example. And literally translating a phrase like “it costs an arm and a leg” could horrify non-English speakers. This goes for video and other types of content. Avoiding phrases like this and keeping translation in mind when creating English content can be very helpful in your localization strategy.

When subtitling videos for foreign language speakers, this is often understood. Subtitled foreign films, for example, rarely put literal translations of what is being said on the screen. It’s more important that the subtitles convey the idea of what is being said and are timed to allow the audience to follow the action.

Subtitle translations for the hard-of-hearing should follow the same protocol. An experienced, quality-certified translation partner will not translate your transcript word-for-word into a caption file. They will instead localize it – using the words, phrases, and idioms that make it culturally relevant to the target audience.

A high-quality, localized translation means a hearing person who views the original video with no captions, a hard-of-hearing person who views the video captioned in the source language, and a non-English speaker who views the video with translated captions will all walk away with the same understanding of what was said. And that is the definition of accessibility.

*Reference: https://digital-nirvana.com/blogs/closed-captioning-guidelines/

The post Subtitle Translation: Making Your Videos More Accessible and Engaging appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

With the globalization of companies, the way training is delivered has changed. What used to take place in-person now takes place online using computers and mobile devices. Self-paced eLearning has become a method of choice to train employees and build important skills within a global workforce. It is affordable and easily shareable, making it one of the most popular ways to teach critical knowledge and skills to employees.

What is Storyline and what does it do?

Articulate Storyline is one of the leading eLearning authoring applications. Storyline allows companies and leadership teams to create their own cutting-edge interactive courses without needing extensive computer, coding, or graphic design knowledge.

How can your organization benefit from Storyline translation?

In most cases, English is the primary language of Storyline course development. However, English may not be the first language of everyone within your organization. When a course is only offered in one language, it excludes a number of employees or customers that could benefit from the curriculum.

Storyline translation and localization allows your eLearning courses to reach a larger audience. Everyone, no matter the language spoken, will be able to accurately synthesize the material being presented. This allows everyone across your organization to receive the same level of education and exposure to tools. When all of your employees are on the same page, you set your company up for success in a global market.

Translating into a person’s mother tongue ensures that those taking the course understand the material as it was intended. Even if individuals are proficient in the original course language, comprehension and information retention rates improve when someone receives information in the language they are most comfortable with. Localization makes the final product feel as if it were created for that specific target market rather than just being translated as an afterthought.

How is a Storyline course translated?

Translating a course created with Storyline is more involved and complex than simply rewriting the text in the target language or adding captions. There are more moving parts involved. A proper translation will also include localization. With localization, all of the course’s multimedia and interactive properties are taken into consideration and will be translated, correctly formatted, and integrated into the course.

This includes:

• On-screen content and subtitles: All on-screen text will be translated. One issue that commonly occurs is the expansion of text with a translated language. To combat this, an eLearning engineering specialist will reformat the screen so that it appears as originally intended.
• Audio overlays: If audio narration is present in the course, it can be translated and re-recorded in the target language. Translated subtitles and audio will need to be correctly synced with the audio and graphics in a way that makes sense to the user.
• Videos: Similar to audio overlays, voice-over recording can be performed on video content, as well as changes to any visual language presented. Videos can be embedded within the course to aid the learner.
• Graphics: images and graphics within your course may contain text or symbols that need to be translated. The localization of graphics is commonly performed by a multilingual desktop publishing specialist with visual editing experience. Even factors such as colors should be carefully considered, as meaning can vary from culture to culture.
• Navigation controls: Aside from the actual content within the course, navigational controls and action buttons should be translated for ease of use. This includes operations like PREVIOUS, NEXT, CONTINUE, etc.
• Interactive quizzes or games: Quiz, assessment, and game content should be translated into the target language, as well as any instructions or controls.
• Mouse cursor movement captures: Within a course, users may be able to move the cursor to reveal items or actions that the narrator is explaining. These descriptions should be localized in the program.
• Additional documents and resources: Oftentimes, additional documentation and resources are linked to the courses. This may come in the form of tip sheets, checklists, job aids, and more. It is important that translations are consistent across these documents so that all learners can be equipped with the appropriate tools.

SCORM Online Learning Translations

eLearning courses are often published as Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) content. More than just a funny word, SCORM is the set of technical standards that allow eLearning courses to be played across different Learning Management Systems (LMS’). It gives companies the ability to share their content on different systems without headaches that come from coding that isn’t compatible.

Think of it this way: if you own a DVD, you don’t have to worry about the brand of DVD player that you’re using. Any brand DVD player will play any film since DVDs are made using industry-wide standards. Similarly, a course written with the SCORM standard can be used in any SCORM-conformant LMS.

A company with eLearning localization experience will know how to match the publishing of the English SCORM package with the target language. SCORM-compatible translation solutions ensure that everyone can utilize your web course seamlessly and easily, regardless of language or the Learning Management System used.

How can a translation company help?

Translation companies can help in several ways. To start, professional translation companies provide the best multilingual talent to ensure both the technical accuracy and linguistic quality of the translated material. Additionally, translation companies can also convey the cultural nuances needed to ensure that your content effectively resonates with the intended audience. In addition to the actual language component, experts can determine whether or not visuals, symbols, and gestures are culturally appropriate.

The key, however, is finding a translation company that does more than just produce accurate translations. The company should be able to edit, proofread, format, and integrate the translated content back into the Storyline source file, as well as execute final course publishing and Quality Assurance. If a voiceover is needed, the company should be capable of producing professional-grade studio recordings and know how to insert and sync the audio within the courses.

A turnkey process will leave your team with no additional work. There will be no need to upload files or work to perfectly match the source language course— everything will be ready to go and use upon delivery. Quality Assurance practices will ensure that your product is reviewed by a native speaker who will engage with the content just as your employees would. An experienced translation company will also work with you to develop customized solutions that match your specific needs and requests.

Adapting to Changing Software and Trends

As with most software applications, Storyline is ever-changing with periodic version releases. Because of this, it’s imperative that your translation partner has the ability to adapt quickly. Storyline currently has five versions: the original Storyline 1, Storyline 2, Storyline 3, Storyline 360, and Articulate Rise. Each version gives authors more control and has more features than the previous versions. While more options are always good for those creating and taking the course, it can involve more complex work for those tasked with translating them.

These changes follow important trends in the eLearning industry. For example, due to the rising popularity of mobile learning, the newest versions of Storyline have a responsive design for smartphones and tablets. It’s important that translation companies be aware of changes like this to ensure that courses are correctly formatted across all languages, no matter what device is being used.

Experts are predicting growth in the use of video and experiential learning simulations. Translation of components like these are best done by the experts, as professional quality dubbing and localization are not as straightforward as you may think. Similarly, as the role of personalized learning experiences begins to grow, the importance of translation and localization expands. eLearning translation professionals can tailor fonts, sizes, and other on-screen elements to specific audiences.

Thanks to technology and the services of professional translation companies, your organization’s training programs aren’t limited geographically. Articulate Storyline courses can provide your employees with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed within your organization. By translating and localizing these courses into the languages of your target audience, you not only help those individuals grow professionally, you also help the entire organization achieve success on a global scale.

The post Storyline Translation: How it Can Benefit Your Organization appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.