Research from RWS suggests that learning and development (L&D) professionals are increasingly aware of the benefits of localizing their training content, with almost three-quarters (73%) of global enterprises now translating content for employees. Encouragingly, half (50%) expect to localize even more training content in the next 12 months, seeking to deliver more compelling learning experiences, higher rates of completion and improved job performance.

RWS’s ‘Learning across borders’ report, which surveyed 300+ L&D directors at large enterprises in the US, Europe and Australasia, explores the various approaches that enterprises are taking in their eLearning strategies.

“It’s encouraging to see how seriously enterprises are taking localization,” explains Amanda Newton, President of Global Content Services at RWS. “The research paints a positive picture of enterprises actively aligning their practices to ensure that training remains engaging, informative and effective. This can only be a good thing for worldwide learners.”

The research also found that – despite a willingness to localize content – incorporating local cultural nuances remains the biggest challenge for enterprises when localizing training material. As a result the majority (57%) use a combination of language specialists and machine translation to ensure that content remains accurate, culturally relevant and impactful.

The top reasons cited by enterprises for localizing training content included the need to drive better training outcomes through more personalized training which, according to business leaders, gives them a competitive advantage