Multilingualism is a worldwide phenomenon. Countries such as Canada and Belgium, for example, have more than one official language. Furthermore, in many places, the migration of labor results in a linguistic melting pot. This is an aspect you should take into account when offering a training course – especially if you opt for blended learning, which considerably broadens your audience. Since a blended-learning platform eliminates geographical boundaries, it’s a lot easier to offer training courses to participants abroad, provided that language isn’t an obstacle.
One group, several languages: how do you keep participants together?
Suppose you have a group of participants with one learning goal but very different backgrounds. For example, fifty percent have English as a mother tongue, while the other fifty percent’s native language is Spanish. Of course, you can provide course materials in two languages. But a learning platform also consists of instructions, help pages, and buttons. And what if these system elements are only available in one language?
Naturally, participants want to take the entire course (materials plus system) in one language – preferably, their mother tongue. They consider a blended-learning environment as a technical means and want to work with it in the simplest possible way. An inability to take the entire course (content, buttons, and instructions) in their own language may constitute a considerable barrier to participation.
The solution: a blended-learning platform which is available in several languages and allows you to add content in multiple languages. It will eliminate a lot of barriers. Each participant will see a consistent environment in one language. As a result, language won’t be an obstacle, and participants can focus on learning, which is what it’s all about.
Easy to use for trainer and participant
It’s important to realize that no two multilingual platforms are the same. That’s why you should opt for a blended-learning environment which allows for a very easy setup in multiple languages – for example, you should be able to simply upload course materials under the right tabs. Check whether participants can easily set their preferred language. You will want a flexible system that doesn’t force you to split up participants based on their language settings.
LearningStone: language-friendly blended-learning platform
LearningStone’s current system languages are English, Dutch, German, French, and Spanish. You can offer a training course on the blended-learning platform in a single group space, which includes participants with different backgrounds who each take the course in the language they’ve selected. The buttons and instructions are all available in that same language, and you can provide training materials in the languages that suit your participants. The result: a coherent group of participants for whom language isn’t an obstacle!
Want to work with a very user-friendly, multilingual blended-learning platform? Please don’t hesitate to contact us so we can discuss your opportunities.
