eLearning and Training: How Does Language Impact Learning?

by Jen Weaver 

Let's be frank, most people know at least some English.  It is one of the most common languages in the World, and many countries outside of the U.S. teach English in schools as standard curriculum.  Given these facts, it can be difficult to justify the expense of translation for training materials, especially when your learners are able to communicate in English with marginal clarity. So the question remains: what benefit does translation bring to your students?

It is not a stretch to assume that it is easier for students to learn when materials are provided in their first language; however, research indicates that the consequences of monolingual education for bilingual students may be harsher than previously realized.

Difficulties Second Language Learners May Experience

• Learners may lack knowledge of English grammar and syntax. In this case, they will read text word-by-word, resulting in lower overall comprehension.
• There may be challenges for learners when reading idiomatic expressions and unfamiliar grammatical construction, especially with more complex sentence structures.
• There may be too much unfamiliar vocabulary to grasp the overall concept.  Learners may also lack appropriate "repair strategies" to use when meaning is lost or misinterpretations occur.
• Connectives may be overlooked or misunderstood, resulting in a loss of the relationships between concepts and ideas.
• Learners may not be familiar with a specific genre, story "grammar" or the literary devices used in text.
• Symbols may differ.

From a Cultural Standpoint, These Factors May Come Into Play

• Different conceptual frameworks may misguide the learner's reading.
• Cause and consequence chains can differ and/or be more emotional, evoking strong reactions in the reader.
• Second language readers often use strategies that are applicable to the orthographic system and the grammatical and syntactic patterns of their first language. These may or may not transfer into the second language text.

These challenges, together with the finding of other published research, support the view that educational materials provided in the student's second language are not as effective as those given in the student's first language. Additionally, second language readers consistently fail to realize how much of what they think they understand is, in fact, wrong. Translation voids these learning obstacles by making materials available in the first language of learners, thereby increasing comprehension, retention and application; thus adding a substantial return on investment for translation. Indirectly, this benefits your rapport and customer satisfaction as a training professional as you enable clients to better educate second language learners.

What is your experience with the impact of language on training? We'd love to see your comments below. 

*** 

If you would like to learn best practices for managing translation projects, contact Jen at Carmazzi Global Solutions.