The language desk

A better brief for your next multilingual course.

The most useful course brief explains what learners need to do, what files exist and who will assemble the translated material. Here is a practical structure you can reuse.

Describe the learners and the task

State the learner profile, subject and target market. Include the intended reading level, prior knowledge and preferred tone. An experienced technician and a new employee may need different language even when they use the same equipment.

Explain what successful learning looks like. A translator needs to understand whether a phrase is an instruction, a learning objective, a quiz option or feedback after an incorrect answer.

Inventory every language component

A word-count export may not capture text embedded in images or video. Identify those items separately. If you use an authoring tool, supply a sample export and confirm whether translators should edit the source package or a language file.

  • On-screen text, slide notes and downloadable files
  • Navigation buttons and interface messages
  • Questions, answer choices and all feedback branches
  • Narration scripts, video subtitles and graphic text
  • Glossaries, accessibility text and completion messages

Agree what happens after translation

Name the person who imports the language files and checks the rebuilt course. Reintegration and linguistic testing are separate responsibilities from translating the export.

Use a representative module as a pilot. Include a quiz, a screen with tight space and an audio or video element if those appear in the real course. This exposes practical constraints before they affect every module.

Handle assessments and narration deliberately

Provide correct answers, scoring context and relevant subject references for assessments. Have a subject owner approve any changes that could alter what a question tests.

For narration, agree script timing and pronunciation before recording. Decide whether a translated script can be longer than the original and who resolves conflicts between timing and complete meaning.

A reusable briefing template

You can paste these fields into your enquiry. Include a sample rather than confidential learner data. We will confirm the supported workflow and quote the language and production components explicitly.

FieldWhat to specify
AudienceLearners, market, reading level and prior knowledge
FilesAuthoring tool, export type, source version and media
LanguageLanguage pairs, terminology and formality
ProductionTranslation, audio, reintegration and test owners
ApprovalOne feedback owner, review rounds and deadline

Let’s make the next step clear

Good language work starts with your brief.

Tell us the content, languages and deadline. We’ll help you define the right scope and handover.

Discuss your course brief