Last updated on May 17th, 2023 at 06:07 pm

Korean Translation Services for E-Learning

In the span of just 3 years, our world has changed exponentially in how it views society, politics, and education. Education, in particular, has seen quite a shift–from a traditional classroom environment to an interactive online environment. This online style has been dubbed e-learning and often is spelled without the dash: eLearning. With this growing shift in how our world sees education, the need for various e-learning courses has become an international business. Of course, as a business grows internationally, the need for translation services also becomes a key player for success.

If you are looking to keep up with the international growth that your e-learning business has seen, or you want to break beyond your domestic reach, then you might be interested in Korean translations. South Korea is a country not only known for its incredible IT infrastructure, but they also value higher education. They are a demographic in need of English to Korean translation services and are ready for more options in e-learning.

So, let’s take a look at the benefits of e-learning and the even bigger benefits of using e-learning translation services.

E-Learning Origins and Benefits

While e-learning seems to be a hot topic in education at the moment, you might be surprised that e-learning’s birth dates back to the 1960s, when a lab assistant at the University of Illinois named Donald Bitzer, created PLATO, the first e-learning system. Since Bitzer’s creation and the expansion of the internet’s capabilities, we have seen steady growth in e-learning programs. This online way of learning is effective and convenient, but its foundations were put to the test when the Covid-19 pandemic hit our world.

Pandemic Effects on Global Education

Soon, e-learning was not just a choice but a necessity globally. Students were unable to go to school, Graduates were unable to complete their labs or classes to finally get that master’s degree, and everything suddenly had to be switched online.

Employees also saw that they were not satisfied with their current life, and many decided to leave their job in pursuit of a new dream and gain new skills. There was a global gap created in our education systems that e-learning has slowly been filling up.

This is a global shift and many courses and training have gone global with the use of eLearning translation.

Are Certified Translations Required for eLearning translation?

Certified translations from Korean into English are used for USCIS visa and immigration processing, legal proceedings, and financial transactions such as loan originations. A certified translation requires the translation to include an affidavit or certification issued by a translation company in the US. Certified translations are usually not required for e-Learning projects.

Not Just a Game

Unlike popular belief, e-learning is more than having a class on your computer screen. E-Learning can involve puzzles, games, videos, shows, and much more to engage the mind of the student. This way of learning is quite effective for students from kindergarten to elementary. An article written by M H Khan and A Setiawan showed that e-learning improved a student’s self-learning skills, critical thinking, and world perception.

eLearning courses are complex, creating effective eLearning courses takes time and planning, from the storyboard and scripts to the media and the final assembly in the authoring tool. So, all the assets that are created need to be evaluated for the eLearning content translation.

South Korea and E-Learning Approach to Education

With the spread of Covid-19, almost all schools in South Korea had to switch online to deter the spreading of the virus. The transition was relatively smooth for the country because of its vast internet infrastructure and the government’s efforts to expand the capabilities of e-learning programs.

The versatility of South Korea makes the country a great target audience for eLearning courses, therefore many eLearning courses need translation services to adapt them to Korean culture and language.

Korean Education Culture

Before the pandemic even hit South Korea, the country was already known for being one of the top 3 countries that invests in English e-learning, along with China and Japan. Students in Korea work hard at school and then continue on to self-study where they go to after-school schooling called Hagwons or have in-person/online tutors. There are jobs and options available to teach English to Korean, Chinese, and Japanese students online. Pre-pandemic, a study showed that in 2019 families in South Korea spent an average of 120,000 won (about $100) each month on e-learning programs. That number grew even more once education shifted to online classrooms.

Need for E-Learning Translations

South Korea has done well to invest in higher education, but the wish to learn more and raise above competitors is what makes translation services for e-learning valuable. Having fluency in English is a coveted skill amongst Koreans; so, there is a strong desire to take English-based courses that are mostly available through e-learning companies and international universities. Though when learning a language, it can be hard to understand everything that is being taught. Courses can be rather difficult for engineering and computer science majors because of specialized vocabulary and abbreviations. Professional English to Korean translation services pays note to cultural intonation and can help students like these complete these courses, which make them more hirable with new skills.
The acquisition of knowledge is always easier and faster in a native language and the existence of training content in Korean also supports Koreans, whose English is not as advanced, to learn in their native tongue.

Korean Translation Services are an important tool

Professional translation services are pivotal to achieve true globalization. Translation services are a lot more than just using Google Translate. It is important to be able to recognize the special cultural elements that are in every language. The Korean Language is both complex and simple, sentence meanings are often changed by context. At JR Language, we use only professional translators, native speakers of the target language, so you can attain true language localization for your e-learning business.

Think about the layout of the translated eLearning content

The layout of eLearning content is very important because the training is a visual process and must facilitate the learning process. When translating from English into Korean, the text will contract by about 10%. This means that there will be no issues such as the text not fitting in the original layout. When translating from Korean into English, the text can expand up to 25%. This is handled during the typesetting/formatting of the final material, to ensure that all the text is located and aligned correctly.
The review process is extremely important to ensure proper display of the Korean characters and the proper adjustment and mt6aching of the voiceover and subtitles to the learning videos

Elements that might require localization

There is an open market for e-learning businesses to reach and connect with the Korean people, a people who are hungry for education and work hard to set themselves up for success. Koreans have the need, you have the resources, and JR Language has the capabilities to bridge the gap. But what can professional translation services really provide for e-learning businesses?

• Audio/Video Translation. E-Learning’s big player. Your educational videos and audio files, whether through dubbing or voiceover, can be translated to reach your target audience.
• Multilingual Subtitles/Captions. If you’re not interested in audio translation, you can opt for subtitles to help relay your information internationally.
• Website Translation. Maybe your course has its own website where students can interact with games, forums, and more. Website translation services can make those courses and games more accessible.
• Document Translation. Though e-learning is an online education, that does not mean documents are never involved. Textbooks, tests, homework, records, and so much more can be translated for your business and for those taking your courses.
• Complete courses in the authoring tool. Need to localize all the elements and after assembling them in the authoring tool.

Whatever your needs may be, providing your e-learning services through English to Korean translation (or vice versa) can help your students gain the most from your courses and keep your business’s growth moving forward into the new era of education.

Professional Korean translators

Korean translators specialized in e-Learning content work to ensure that the translation will communicate correctly in a self-paced learning environment. This will ensure that the learning objectives are not lost. When an instructional video is translated, it requires that the timing of the audio matches the on-screen speakers and the visual cues so the student can understand the lesson. eLearning courses must be interactive, and the English to Korean translation must ensure that the user interface does not degrade the dialogue with the student or impact the overall aesthetics of the user interface. This is achieved by teams of eLearning localization supported by professional Korean translators and localization engineers that work on all the elements of the eLearning course.