On-screen text
Slide copy, headings, labels, tooltips, button text and navigation, refitted to the layout.
Professional e-learning translation services
A course is not a document
Translating a course is not the same as translating the text inside it. A module is text, audio, video, navigation, interaction and assessment working together to a timetable, and every one of those parts has to be localized for the finished course to function. Do only the words and you get slides whose text overflows, narration that no longer matches the animation, and a quiz that marks the wrong answer correct.
AGATO localizes training and educational content for employers, training providers, universities and government bodies across Dubai and the UAE, in more than 120 languages.
Why organisations in Dubai need it
A workforce in the UAE rarely shares one language. Compliance training, health and safety briefings, onboarding and technical instruction only work if the person taking the course understands it in the language they actually think in — and for a compliance course, that is a legal exposure question rather than a nicety. Localizing the programme is usually cheaper than delivering it repeatedly in person.
What we localize
Every part of the course, not just the slides
These are the pieces that have to travel together for a module to work in another language.
Narration
Scripts translated, adapted to the available time, then recorded by native voice talent.
Subtitles and captions
SRT and VTT files timed to the video, including captions for deaf and hard of hearing learners.
Quizzes and assessments
Question banks, answer options, feedback messages and pass or fail wording.
Certificates
Completion certificates and compliance wording, which an audit will check.
Glossaries and handbooks
Supporting documents, job aids and printable material that go with the course.
Graphics and diagrams
Text inside images redrawn, and examples adapted where a local reference works better.
Interface and metadata
Course titles, descriptions and the LMS-facing metadata learners search by.
Formats
Send us what your authoring tool exports
We work on the package and hand back a localized one, so your live environment stays untouched.
Working with software interfaces as well as courses? See software localization. For standalone video, see video translation.
Arabic courses
Right-to-left is a rebuild, not a translation
An Arabic course does not simply carry Arabic words. The whole layout mirrors: navigation moves to the right, progress bars fill the other way, next and back swap places, and the reading order of every slide reverses. Dropping Arabic text into a left-to-right template is the most common reason a localized course arrives unusable.
Text expansion compounds it. Arabic set alongside English often needs different line heights and a different font stack, and a slide built to fit English exactly will overflow. We refit rather than let it break.
We also advise on register. Modern Standard Arabic is right for formal, corporate and educational content and is understood everywhere; dialect suits consumer-facing material but narrows the audience. See voice over services for how that choice affects narration.
Tell us before we start
- Which authoring tool the course was built in
- The number of modules and total narration runtime
- Every target language, including dialect where it matters
- Whether you need narration re-recorded or subtitles only
- Whether we work on the export or inside your LMS
- Any existing glossary or approved terminology
Sending one module first is the cheapest way to agree the style before a whole programme is committed.
How it works
From your export to a course you can upload
Six steps, with the terminology agreed before any recording happens.
Scope
We review the package, count the words and the runtime, and confirm what has to be rebuilt.
Glossary
Key terms are agreed with you first, so nothing has to be unpicked later.
Translate and adapt
Text and scripts are translated, then adapted to fit the layout and the timings.
Record
Narration is recorded by native voice talent, and subtitles are timed to the video.
Rebuild and test
The course is reassembled and run through in language, checking layout, navigation and assessments.
Deliver
You receive a localized package ready to upload, in the same format you sent us.
Why AGATO
Translation and production under one roof
FAQ
E-learning translation questions, answered
What does e-learning localization involve?
More than translating the words on a slide. A localized course needs the on-screen text, the narration, the subtitles, the quizzes, the glossary, the certificate and the interface labels all rendered into the target language, then rebuilt so the timing, the layout and the navigation still work. Images, examples and units of measurement often need adapting as well.
Which file formats do you work with?
The exports your authoring tool produces: SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 packages, xAPI and Tin Can, XLIFF, HTML5 output, PowerPoint and Word source, SRT and VTT subtitle files, and the audio and video assets that go with them. Tell us what your platform produces and we will confirm.
Do you work directly in our LMS?
Usually we work on the exported package and hand back a localized one for you to upload, which keeps your live environment untouched. Where a client prefers it, we can work in the platform directly. Say which you would rather and we will plan around it.
Can you record the narration as well as translate it?
Yes. We translate and adapt the script so it fits the time available, then record it with native voice talent in a professional studio. See voice over services for how casting and recording work.
What about Arabic courses that read right to left?
Arabic localization means the whole layout mirrors: navigation, progress bars, buttons and the reading order of a slide all move to the right. We handle that rebuilding rather than just supplying Arabic text for someone else to drop in, because dropped-in Arabic in a left-to-right layout is the most common way a course ends up unusable.
Will the course still be the right length after translation?
Not by itself, which is why adaptation matters. Translated text commonly runs 20 to 30 per cent longer than English, and narration runs longer with it. We adjust the script and the timings so slides, audio and subtitles stay in step rather than letting text overflow its box.
Do you translate the assessments and certificates too?
Yes. Quizzes, question banks, feedback messages, pass and fail text, completion certificates and any compliance wording are all part of the package. A course whose questions are localized but whose certificate is not fails an audit.
How long does a course take?
It depends on the number of modules, the runtime of the narration and how much rebuilding the layout needs. A short module in a common language pair can be a matter of days; a full programme in several languages is planned as a project. We confirm the timeline before we start.
Which languages do you localize into?
More than 120. Arabic and English in both directions are the most requested, followed by French, Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and German — which for many Dubai employers is what a workforce actually speaks.
Can you keep terminology consistent across a whole programme?
Yes, and it is the main reason to use one provider. We build a glossary and a translation memory for your programme, so module twelve uses the same terms as module one, and so updates next year match what you published this year.
Related
Services that go with e-learning
Voice over servicesNarration recorded by native voice talent.
Video translationSubtitles, captions and dubbing for your media.
Software localizationInterfaces, strings and apps, tested in language.
Website translationLocalized for the market, not translated word for word.
Document translationHandbooks, job aids and printed material.
Enterprise language servicesOngoing programmes for larger organisations.