A team working on a project like this is likely to run into challenges. Here are the challenges our team faced:
A Tight Deadline
Because so many people were working on this project – and had a very short time to complete it – we needed a timetable to keep everyone on schedule. Our digital localization expert, in collaboration with the sales and project management teams, stepped in to create one. This timetable included due dates for each individual contributor, including voice-over actors, graphic designers, transcribers, translators, and audiovisual technicians. This was a major challenge, as any delay in one area could have a snowball effect and delay the rest of the project.
Repeated Testing
Testing a digital asset sometimes requires running many unsuccessful tests before achieving the desired result. To test a page on a website, you simply need to refresh it (e.g. press F5 on your keyboard). By contrast, when adapting training modules, you sometimes need to roll out the entire module to test it, which can take several minutes. This time was built into the schedule, and our teams worked hard to ensure that the module was usable and that the animations, voice, text and subtitles all flowed smoothly.
Project Implementation, Step by Step
Coordination between teams was essential, so the project managers and localization experts worked closely to implement solutions during each stage of the project.
- Files from the client were sorted and sent to the appropriate business expert.
- Source content was extracted from the module in .xliff format, and then translated and re-imported.
- Visuals were adapted. We translated the content, and our graphic designers adjusted the layout according to typographic and graphic guidelines. The visuals were then re-imported into Storyline.
- Voice-overs were created. As the client pointed out, the choice of female and male voices used in customer service interactions convey emotions, so it was important to reproduce the tone of the French version. Once the voice-over actors were chosen by our audiovisual technician, and the choices were approved by the client, recording could begin. We extracted the French voices, transcribed and translated the dialogue into English, and prepared the files for our actors. When they had finished recording their voice-overs, we mixed the audio and re-integrated it into Storyline.
- Motion Design animations were adapted. Using the After Effect files sent by the client, we extracted the texts, translated them and then re-integrated them into the platform.
Once all these steps were completed, we conducted technical acceptance testing to confirm that all the steps had been handled properly.
One particularly useful feature for us was Articulate Review. We used the feature in Articulate Storyline to send a link to the client, and the client used it to provide feedback to our team. This helped facilitate the process of gathering client feedback and making corrections to the project.
