Creating a Multi-Language Experience in Docebo

Offering a learning experience with translation capability can be a great value add but ensuring the site is fully translated requires planning and full execution.

As with all configurations, before you start working, you should take time to consider the user experience and how you will manage this experience. 

Planning 

• What languages do you need to support?
• What tools or resources do you have to effectively translate your content?
• How will you teach your learners how to experience Docebo in another language?
• Do you have admins who need to work in another language besides the default?
• Do you know a user's preferred language at the time of account creation?
• Who will support multi-language inquiries? 
• What else could this mean for your learners, your admins and your stakeholders? 

Resources 

Localization Tool: Allows you to customize the language used in the system to match your own verbiage or otherwise alter existing text. You can use this tool to enable Languages and localize terminology across languages as needed. 

Multi-Language Selector: Allows you to translate the text fields available for the features where this tool is available. Text fields only, typically Title, Description, and Code but there are some exceptions such as the Privacy/Cookie policies, Terms & Conditions which also have a body text and some Widgets that offer additional fields such as sub-title or button text. 

Best Practices 

Here are a few considerations and best practices to keep in mind:

• Build your platform and processes out before working on translations. You can fit new translations into your assignment structure, user interface and communications once those have been identified, built out and tested. Until you have your final product defined you will create more work for yourself doing the translations if you have to go back in to make tweaks in every language. 
• If you are using images, videos, etc. within your interface you cannot upload multiple versions of an image as part of the multi-language selector options. Multi-language selector only addresses text fields. This is usually most impactful when creating Pages and using image widgets with text overlay. 
• At this time Courses and Learning Plan titles and descriptions do not have the multi-language selector option. Consider assignment architecture to support getting the right training content in front of your users who opt into a language outside of the default. Don't worry there are some widely used methods for managing this later in the article!
• In instances where the multi-language selector is not available, you can utilize the description field to add additional context or titles in other languages where necessary or duplicate the item and use Groups to assign it to users based on their preferred language.
• The language dropdown menu on the login page only dictates the language shown on the login screen. Your users will need to designate or be mapped to their Preferred Language if it is different than the default using their Preferences to have the site translated following login. This field can be utilized to create groups based on language which can then be used to assign different menus, pages and course content.

Common Things that Can Not be Translated with Multi-Language Selector

• External Training (Institutes, Courses) 
• Certificates 
• Courses 
• Learning Plans 
• Training Materials 
• Coupons 
• Automation Rules 
• Groups 
• Enrollment Rules 
• Webhooks 
• Locations and Classrooms 
• Files uploaded ie: Assets, Images, Videos, File Repository items, etc.

Execution

Here’s a task list you can use to help with your execution (a PDF of this list is available at the bottom of this guide).

Translated Experiences for Admins 

Your learners are not the only one’s using your Docebo platform. Your organization may also have Super Admins or Power Users who will benefit from translations as well. In addition to the actions taken above, consider these additional steps to ensure your administrative team can also interface with the product in their native language as some of the admin-only facing items can translated as well. 

1. Branches – Unless you are using a self-registration model where Branch Name or Code is used this will primarily serve to allow Super Admins to see the organizational tree in their own language. Note: Power Users cannot see the entire organizational tree but can see their own Branch so its beneficial to do this if you have any type of admin who would view the site in another dialect. 
2. Categories – You may have skipped this step in creating the learner experience but even if you do not have Catalogs and/or have the Category Tree exposed your admins can benefit from translated Categories. This is a great way to group content generated in other languages for easier course management. 
3. Manager Types – If you are utilizing the My Teams feature. 
4. Groups – use a User fields based condition for an Automatic Group and use the Language field to organize users into groups based on their language preferences

Assigning Content in Multiple Languages 

You’ve setup the site in multiple languages but still need a way to make sure that the actual training gets put in front of the right learners. How can you make sure they get the right version of a course that is offered in multiple languages? 

1. Catalogs. This is the most widely used method for allowing users to opt in to translated content. You will need to create one or more Catalogs by Language and have content presented here for users to self-enroll in. You can use the Categories and expose the Category Tree for ease of filtering if you offer multiple Catalogs. 
2. Groups. When you have mandated training that cannot be presented in a Catalog but must be assigned Automatic Groups that include a condition based on the Language system field. Use a User fields based condition for an Automatic Group and use the Language field to organize users into groups based on their language preferences
3. HTML Training Materials are a great way to quickly link to other things in the system. If you offer a course in multiple languages you can create a single Learning Object to kick off a Course that links to other versions in case a learner did not realize a version in their preferred language is available. 
4. Equivalencies can be a great way to avoid users having multiple enrolments floating around if they opt in or are assigned to two translations of the same Course. Tie these together using equivalencies to decrease Notifications, on screen clutter etc. 
5. Docebo’s translation capability does not extend to Training Materials but some authoring tools allow for branching logic or language toggles within the publishing settings. You may like to consider using dynamic content. Please note: Courses and Learning Plans do not have multi-language selector yet so you may still need to duplicate these items to translate Titles and Descriptions.