This blog post was written in collaboration with Interpro Translation Solutions.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many things, including that sweatpants never go out of style and virtual learning is not going anywhere.
Chances are you’ve participated in an online conference, continuing education webinar, or virtual instructor-led training (VILT) either before or during the pandemic. Considered one of the fastest-growing methods of internet-based learning, VILT — sometimes called virtual classroom training — refers to training that is delivered in a virtual or simulated environment or when the facilitator and participants are in separate locations.
According to a study by Reportlinker, an international market research firm headquartered in France, the eLearning market is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate of over 14% during the period 2019–2025.
VILT can take your training to a global audience and, using new technology, can be translated into any language. When thinking global, this can be considered part of the eLearning translation service area that a professional company can offer to enhance VILT with multilingual communications. Here are a few more benefits of VILT and why the medium is expected to grow:
Reduces Costs
Sourcing trainers, booking space for on-site classes, and paying for employee and instructor travel expenses do add up. Delivering a training session online drastically reduces those costs.
Boosts Productivity and Employee Engagement
When IBM adopted a new eLearning program for their employees, there were some exciting results. First, they found that employees were able to learn three to five times more when training online compared with a traditional classroom setting using physical manuals. Second, for each dollar they spent on online training products, there was a $30 productivity boost. How was that calculated? Since employees were able to resume regular duties more quickly after a training session, skills learned could be applied in the workplace immediately, resulting in HR managers spending less time overseeing employee education.
Based on a 2018 report from LinkedIn, 58% of employees prefer to learn at their own pace and 68% are eager to learn more while at work. VILT can appeal to both audiences.
Improves Your Bottom Line
According to the IBM study mentioned above, the value of training your employees is tangible. They found that:
- Objectives are met 90% more often by increasing team skills.
- Companies save $70,000 annually and increase productivity 10% when teams are well trained.
- Product rollouts are 22% faster.
Flexibility and Convenience
It’s not always feasible to ask employees to carve out time in their day to commute and partake in traditional classroom training. VILT offers participants the opportunity to learn anytime from anywhere. The more convenient it is for employees, the more likely they are to actively participate.
Virtual learning is scalable, too. As your business grows, so will your training needs. Updating company information and course materials online is far more convenient — and cost-effective — than traditional printed materials.
Also, new employees or users will no longer have to wait for the next available on-site training session. They can learn online as soon as they begin, making the format more efficient.
Offers Diversity
Since VILT is not dependent on any physical location, trainers and participants can be located anywhere in the world. This means that employees can learn from people they don’t interact with on a daily basis, and companies can provide training to employees located in other countries.
This is where foreign language translation and interpretation come in. If you have employees in different parts of the world who speak different languages, you’ll need to make training materials local and accessible to all. A professional language solutions organization can make that happen both in real-time and in post-training via a recording of the source session; this is eLearning translation done right!
Imagine you’re live on a web-conferencing platform like Zoom, for instance. Using a Remote Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI) platform, an option to select another language appears on the bottom left of your screen. Through headphones, a professional interpreter begins to interpret the course for you simultaneously with the source language.
This is not only advantageous to all participants but can also save you money. Instead of hiring an instructor who speaks a foreign language, an English instructor can teach in English, and it can be interpreted into any language — as long as the interpreters are organized in advance.
An additional benefit of VILT translation is that participants can ask questions and hear the answers in their native language. After the training session ends, a transcript of the course — along with any supporting course materials — can also be translated.
Interpro Translation Solutions uses a powerful cloud-based solution to provide RSI services for VILT sessions, as well as international conferences, events, and meetings.
In conclusion, working with a professional translation service, such as Interpro, for your VILT interpretation needs will not only save you time and money but will ensure that your course content stays relevant regardless of the languages in which your participants learn best.
