Ongoing Relevance of COVID-19 Crisis Implications for Localising E-Learning

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed almost all aspects of our lives. Besides physical and mental health, social interactions, business and travel, education was one of the areas that were affected the most. As the world urgently needed to find solutions to provide education during the pandemic, e-learning evolved into a vital tool in 2022/2023. This article will discuss how e-learning has changed for good during the crisis and which conclusions EdTech companies should draw when they localise their products.

Skyrocketing demand for e-learning in every country and every language

The pandemic, by its very definition, has affected the entire world. Curfews, quarantine measures, social distancing, school closures, etc. were applied in virtually every country at some point. As a result, all nations had to find education solutions whilst also limiting the spread of the virus. In this context, e-learning programs became a tool of choice, as they provided safe alternatives to in-person education. This could not only be observed in countries where e-learning had been popular long before (including technology savvy nations in Asia or countries with well-established traditions of home schooling, such as the US). The unprecedented conditions of the pandemic also led to the breakthrough of e-learning in countries where it had not played a significant role before.  

From the perspective of EdTech developers, this meant that their learning solutions had become extremely interesting to audiences all over the world. With the help of quality e-learning localisation services, they could now approach markets across all continents and provide much needed solutions for learning needs. To maximise the new chances, multilingual localisation, i.e. the possibility to entrust one language service agency with translations into several different languages at the same time, proved particularly attractive.

Diversification of e-learning topics 

Global developments in 2022/2023 have also spurred demand for a broader spectrum of topics. For instance, individuals who faced job losses amid the Covid-19 crisis opted to acquire fresh skills through e-learning. This phenomenon drove the popularity of e-learning programs covering areas like specialized software and IT skills, where no prior learning modules existed. Such pursuits empowered them to gain competitive edges and enhance their prospects in the challenging economic climate of 2022/2023.

On a brighter note, a lot of people also agree that it was during the pandemic that they finally had time to pursue personal interests they had long been passionate about. As a consequence, not only e-learning programs that were useful for people’s career paths, but also programs catering to personal interests, such as photography, panting, languages, yoga, etc. became extremely popular, helped people bring some light into the monotony of the new normal and make their daily lives more meaningful.

To sustain the momentum of this e-learning boom, EdTech businesses can localize e-learning programs across a wide array of topics. This approach helps in retaining new clients and meeting their future learning needs and interests. Developers seeking to localize more than one e-learning program or module can collaborate with professional e-learning translation companies. These companies can devise attractive pricing models, such as offering significant discounts for translating e-learning programs that share similarities, or even identical content with previously translated material.

New target groups

The demand for educational solutions has surged across all demographics, including those that were historically challenging to engage. It was the Covid-19 pandemic that ultimately piqued the interest of EdTech businesses in these groups. Take, for instance, the elderly population. Many of them had previously shown limited interest in digital technology. However, due to their heightened vulnerability to severe Covid-19 and the constant advisories to avoid leaving their homes during the pandemic, they began to embrace new technology as a means to combat solitude and monotony.

Digital communication tools, such as video calls, served as a catalyst, enabling them to overcome their initial hesitations towards adopting new technologies. Once they had gained familiarity with hardware and basic applications, a significant number of them expressed interest in using their devices for more than just communication, including for e-learning purposes.

EdTech developers can approach such new target groups, including the elderly, in various ways, for example with focused marketing campaigns, but also in terms of providing e-learning content, which is particularly relevant to them, such as with programs on healthy nutrition, exercises or general wellbeing for senior people, etc. Language service providers that work in a diverse range of industries can localise e-learning products and also translate any associated marketing collateral, license agreements, etc. to accommodate all needs of EdTech businesses in such complex endeavours without compromising quality in translation.  

More competition and higher expectations for user experience

With all these unprecedented business opportunities, the competition between various EdTech companies has become more intense and guaranteeing a good user experience is key to attract and retain new clients.  

However, the user experience does not only depend on the quality of an e-learning program itself. Also the quality of translation will directly affect user satisfaction. For a user who is not satisfied with a translated e-learning course, however, it is difficult (or even impossible) to know if it was the original e-learning program or the translation that caused his/her poor user experience. This ultimately means that EdTech developers that do not select a high-quality e-learning localisation service provider, put customer retention at risk, no matter how good their original products are.  

Besides the general quality aspects, such as linguistic expertise and correct translation of specific terminology, etc., one particularly critical aspect that should be highlighted here is the ability to localise video or audio content, games, etc. Such multimedia content creates a truly engaging user experience in e-learning. However, not every language service provider offers solutions for such content. That is why EdTech developers should check beforehand when they select an e-learning localisation service to make sure that all their needs are covered and all content (including multimedia) is supported. 

EdTech companies need translation agencies to seize the global chances in this golden age of e-learning

As previously discussed, the pandemic has created unique opportunities for EdTech businesses. It has fundamentally transformed the e-learning industry and education in general. E-learning products have found their way into diverse contexts. They will continue to play a vital role in education, either as standalone modules or as integral components of hybrid models that complement in-person classes. This landscape is highly competitive, and EdTech developers need to leverage top-tier localisation agencies and professional e-learning translation solutions to capitalize on these opportunities and establish a strong presence in foreign markets.

In this highly competitive landscape, EdTech developers must rely on top-tier localization agencies and professional e-learning translation solutions. This is crucial for seizing these unique opportunities and establishing a robust presence in foreign markets.

elionetwork has always recognised and appreciated the immense potential of e-learning. We provide outstanding solutions for education software developers, including translation to and from more than 55 languages and tailor-made solutions for complex content, such as voiceovers, video subtitling, etc. Contact us now to find out more about our service portfolio or to request a free quote!