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Alexandra Wrage
President and Founder, TRACE

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Nicola Bonucci 
International Lawyer and former
Director for Legal Affairs OECD
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Dave Lee
FCPA Compliance Consultant, TRACE
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Sunny McCall
Senior Director II, Compliance Training, TRACE
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Lee Nelson
Independent Compliance and
Ethics Attorney
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Jessica Tillipman
Associate Dean for Government Procurement Law, The GW University Law School
Writer's pictureGreg Nelson

Ask an Expert: “I’m new to compliance training but need my content to be globally-friendly. What’s the difference between translation and localization?”

Globe

Both translation and localization are important considerations when administering eLearning content to a global audience. While translation and localization are related, there are subtle differences between these concepts of which to be cognizant, and that, if utilized properly, can improve the user experience when taking a training course.


A translation is simply converting text or content from one language to another language. Localization takes a translation and makes it more specific to an audience, by accounting for items such as cultural differences, legal regulations, precision for local linguistic considerations, formats (date/time), slang, and imagery. Translation can work in conjunction with localization, but localization makes a product more authentic and appealing to participants, which can also encourage further engagement with compliance trainings.


Translations are typically effective in text that might not carry many nuances for interpretation of the content – for example, this could apply to areas such as technical or medical materials. Localization is more essential when appealing to specific global audiences and is beneficial in areas such as digital content, software, and marketing collateral.


Technological advancements in machine translation and localization software platforms, some with AI capabilities, have made it easier and faster to tailor compliance training content for different global audiences. This is certainly a convenience, yet there continue to be gaps in accuracy of the translation, along with some misinterpretations in the material.


While translations can be accommodated by machine translation systems, localization exactness is still best handled by humans. For example, the phrase “slipped through the cracks,” went through machine translation, including localization, for a recent TRACE project. The output into another language was a literal translation of the phrase. During a review of the output, a native linguist shared that there is a better, more culturally appropriate phrase for “slipped through the cracks.” An inaccuracy such as this could be seen as a minor oversight, but if similarly missed localizations are repeated throughout a training course, it can show a lack of attention to detail and potentially raise questions about the professionalism, quality, and reliability of the content.


All TRACE courses are translated into 6 core languages, which are those most utilized by our multinational audience—French, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish. Each translation begins with an AI machine tool and is then rigorously reviewed and re-reviewed by two native linguists for accuracy.


In short, the best way to ensure compliance training courses are “global-friendly” is to:


· Begin with a machine translation tool to allow AI and machine learning to translate the course quickly and efficiently (there are many free translations software applications online, such as Google Translate)

· Have text and any voice over features in a course localized by linguists who are native speakers for each region in which the courses will be administered

· Watch out for colloquialisms and phrases that may require a change when localized

· Use local offices and departments within different regions to assist with translations reviews to save costs and ensure accuracy in jargon and terminology specific to your organization

· Whenever possible, keep a “translations memory” of terms that your company uses often to ensure accuracy each time these terms are used


Be sure to audit your tools regularly and always ask questions of native speakers to ensure your translations and localizations in compliance trainings create the most “global-friendly” approach.


Manager, Compliance Training Benefits, TRACE



This post is part of our “Ask an Expert” series where we take questions submitted by readers and ask an expert in the compliance field to provide insight. If you have a question you would like answered, please submit here.


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