Did you know that the most effective learning occurs when a learner is taught in their native language? This is true at any age, whether we’re talking about K-12 school kids or adults at work. Which is why multilingual instructional design is so important, and produces courses that reach the learner in just the right way.

Multilingual instructional design provides learners with the best tools to master the target knowledge and skills they need to be successful and achieve their potential. But it doesn’t happen by accident. I encourage you to consider the following three questions when embarking on any new multilingual instructional design project.

1. Which Languages Do I Need Courses In?

In some cases, the answer may be obvious, but in other cases, not so much. Here is some food for thought that you can use to help choose the right language, or languages, for your courses.

• Who is my target audience?
• Do I have reliable demographic or survey data about my target audience’s native language or preferred instructional language?
• Do I have a legal mandate that may influence which languages are chosen?
• Are there any budget constraints that will influence which languages are chosen?

Don’t forget to consider dialects as well.

2. What Is the Best Process for My Requirements?

When it comes to your multilingual instructional design project, the best process to use can actually depend on a variety of factors. Let’s explore a couple of things that may influence the decision, but your linguistic team should also be able to advise you on more complex requirements.

A. Does the course already exist?

If a course doesn’t already exist and you only need the course in one language, then choosing original instructional design in the target language may make the most sense.

If a course doesn’t already exist and you need the course in multiple languages, then you generally have more leeway in deciding how you’d like to proceed. Choices can include creating a control version that is then translated and adapted into the target languages, and creating multiple target-language courses in parallel.

If a course already exists and is appropriate to serve as a control version, then translation and adaptation may make the most sense.

B. What are learners expected to learn?

Depending on the target knowledge and skills, you may find that translation and adaptation is an option, or original instructional design in the target language is the best way to go.

For example, a course on North American geography could be independently created and aligned in any language, or translated and adapted from an already existing course. Yet, a literacy development course would almost certainly need to be independently created in the target language.

3. How Can I Maximize Resources?

Producing new courses, regardless of the language involved, can be resource intensive. But that doesn’t mean it has to break the bank or there aren’t strategies you can use to reduce costs in the future.

Ensure that your team and any service providers you use carefully document all rationales and processes used in the project. Not only can this help provide a defensible process if any questions arise, but it can speed up process and resource selection and allocation for additional languages and future projects, as well as any course updates for current courses.

Better Education Starts Right Now

Multilingual instructional design can take your learners where they want to go, both now and in the future. And we can help.

Responsive Translation provides a wide range of foreign-language services for K-12 education and corporate training. For more information about how we can help you, please get in touch at 646-847-3309 or [email protected].