Project managers
Run one project from upload to a course that is ready to publish, with each stage, its progress and the word count in view.
- UploadOne project per course
- TrackStages, progress and word count
- PublishPublish once the course is approved
GDPR-compliant organization
ISO 27001 certified organization
SOC II compliant organization
Your business moves in days. Your training takes months.
Smartcat helps L&D teams adapt and translate training materials, from courses and SCORM packages to video and job aids, in 280+ languages, so employees learn the current version as the business changes.
More than 80 of the world’s largest companies have chosen Smartcat
Every approved change is still rebuilt by hand, for every language, LMS and region
A product launches, a policy changes, a regulation lands. The business has already moved on, but in many markets people are still learning yesterday’s version, because every change goes through the same steps again.
Export
Pull the course out of the authoring tool or the LMS.
Translate
Send the files to a vendor and wait for every language.
Rebuild
Put the translated text back into slides, layouts and media.
Review
Route each language to reviewers and chase sign-off.
Upload
Publish each version to each LMS, one at a time.
× every language× every LMS× every region
The result is a growing gap between how fast the business changes and how fast every learner is trained on the current version.
What it costs when training lags behind the business
Late training rarely shows up as a localization problem. It shows up in sales, operations, compliance and budgets.
Sales readiness
Sales teams keep pitching last quarter’s product while the new training waits for translation.
Operational consistency
Plants and service teams follow SOPs that have already changed at headquarters.
Compliance exposure
Markets fall behind current policies and regulations while updates wait in a queue.
Cost and capacity
Every update pays again for agencies, reviewers and designers, so frequent updates feel unaffordable.
Regions in the queue
Regional teams ask for training in their language and get a place in line.
Employee inclusion
Learners in some regions get training later, or never in their own language.
Training that keeps up with your business, in every language
Smartcat treats each course as a connected asset, content and design together. It translates the training file itself (course, SCORM package, deck or video), returns it in the same format and re-translates only what changes, so your team gets more time for the learning itself.
Keep content and design connected in every language
A course is more than text. Smartcat translates the course file itself, so layouts, media, quizzes and tracking stay in place in every language. Designers stop rebuilding slides language by language, and every learner gets the same experience.
Move courses from your authoring tool to your LMS in every language
Upload SCORM packages, XLIFF exports from your authoring tool, PowerPoint decks, PDFs or video. Smartcat returns each file in the same format, ready to upload to your LMS, so you spend less time exporting, rebuilding and uploading, and approved training reaches learners sooner.
Keep every region aligned
Every language version of a course sits in one Smartcat workspace, next to its source. One glossary and translation memory keep shared terms consistent across regions, reviewers approve each language in the browser, and enterprise plans add role-based access and audit trails, so you can see who approved what.
Move from reactive fixes to change-driven updates
When a product, SOP or policy changes, the Content Update Coworker helps you find the affected courses and prepares the updates for review. Only changed text is re-translated, and nothing reaches learners until your team approves it.
See it on one of your own courses
AI prepares. Your experts approve.
Smartcat combines AI translation with human review. AI coworkers prepare each language with your glossary and translation memory, your subject-matter experts and in-country trainers review it in the browser, and your L&D team approves it before anything reaches learners.
AI coworkers prepare
Routine work moves without waiting in a queue.
Chief of Staff
Coordinates the coworkers you’ve hired and routes each course through your workflow.
Content Translator Coworker
Translates the course, quizzes and on-screen text with your glossary and translation memory.
Reviewer Coworker
Pre-reviews each language for fluency, tone and terminology before people see it.
Quality Assurance Coworker
Checks terminology, formatting and accuracy and classifies each issue by severity.
People review
Expert judgment where it matters most.
Your subject-matter experts
Check that procedures, product details and policy wording are right in every language.
In-country trainers
Confirm the course reads naturally for their region, in the browser, with no software to install.
Smartcat Marketplace linguists
Add professional review for regulated or high-stakes content when you need it.
You approve
Nothing reaches learners without sign-off.
Your L&D team
Approves each language before the course is exported to your LMS.
Translation memory
Keeps every approved edit, so the next update starts from your reviewers’ corrections.
92%of words translated by Smartcat AI for paying customers are accepted without a single human edit.
Everyone works on the real course
Project managers, subject-matter experts, linguists and reviewers all see the course as learners will, not a spreadsheet of strings. Every edit grows your translation memory and glossary, so the next course moves faster.
Subject-matter experts
Correct the original in context before anything is translated, and choose which media to localize.
What you check and choose
Source textImagesVideoAttached PDFs
Linguists
Translate in a live preview of the course with translation memory, glossary and QA checks alongside. Edits show in the course at once.
Side by side
Live course previewTranslation memoryGlossaryQA checks
Reviewers and partners
Edit the real course instead of a spreadsheet. Freelancers and partner agencies work from their own Smartcat accounts.
Without Smartcat
- A spreadsheet of strings
- Feedback by email
In Smartcat
- The real course
- Their own Smartcat account
How L&D teams keep training current
Employees learn the current version in their language, regions get a faster path to approved training, and L&D stops repeating the same manual work on every update. That is how L&D becomes the business partner that keeps people aligned with change.
90%
faster program rollout, at a 90% lower cost
“Workflows that used to take months or years now take days or weeks. AI allows us to be a better business partner because we can finally say ‘yes’ to our global regions.”
Cummins used Smartcat to localize its global sales and service enablement program. Before, only 10–15% of its training content was available globally.
Watch the Cummins webinar
70%
reduced editing workload for reviewers
“We love having total visibility over our entire translation lifecycle on our Smartcat workspace due to the centralized nature of the platform and being able to gather all the linguistic assets we need, including translation memories and glossaries.”
— Barbara Fedorowicz, Smith+Nephew
Up to 70%
lower translation costs
Stanley Black & Decker cut translation costs by up to 70% and shortened turnaround by two weeks after moving from agencies to Smartcat.
298
projects across 29 countries
Topcon’s team delivered 298 translation projects in two years, covering 31 languages, and cut one eLearning course’s turnaround from 13 hours to 11, with about two more hours saved per course through automated project setup.
Find out how fast your next course update could reach every region
Start with one course. Grow from there.
Most teams start with the one training program that is late today. As volume grows, Smartcat takes on more of the loop: finding what changed, preparing updates and routing them for approval.
One urgent course
A launch, a policy change or a new market needs one course in several languages, fast.
What is your most time-sensitive training right now?
More courses, more languages
Volume grows every quarter, and reviewers become the bottleneck.
Who reviews translations today, and how long do courses wait for them?
Updates that follow the business
Product, SOP or policy changes start updates to the affected courses, prepared for your approval.
When a product or SOP changes, how long until every region’s training reflects it?
Shared guardrails across teams
Several L&D teams or business units adapt training locally, within rules HQ sets.
Can a region adapt training itself without sending it back to HQ?
Training translation, explained
How to choose between an agency and software, what changes for technical and compliance training, and where localization goes further than translation.
Translation agency, translation software or both?
Most L&D teams combine the two: software for speed and consistency, linguists for content that carries risk.
| Translation agency | Translation software | Smartcat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who translates | Agency linguists | Your team, with machine translation | AI translation, plus your reviewers or Marketplace linguists where needed |
| Course files | Agency prepares files per project | Depends on the tool’s file support | Courses, SCORM packages, decks, PDFs and video, returned in their original format |
| Updates | New quote and project per change | Re-run the changed files | Re-translate only changed segments; 100%+ memory matches use no Smartwords |
| Review | Agency QA | Your team | Your experts and in-country trainers approve in the browser |
| Pricing | Per word, per language | License or seats | Smartwords, shared by unlimited users |
Translating technical and compliance training
Technical and compliance training breaks when terminology drifts between languages. All target languages run in one project, so no market waits for another.
- Glossary and translation memoryA part name, safety step or policy term is translated the same way each time
- Quality Assurance CoworkerChecks terminology, formatting and accuracy, and classifies each issue by severity
- Expert approvalYour subject-matter experts approve each language before export
Translating vs localizing training
Translation changes the words of a course; localization also adapts it for each market. Most global programs do both, on different courses.
Translate
- Changes the words of a course
- For every course
Localize
- Also adapts examples, media, assessments and compliance references
- For the courses where culture or regulation matters
Translation software for eLearning development
If your team builds courses in-house, translation belongs inside eLearning development, not in a separate project at the end.
In Smartcat
- Create a course and translate it in the same workspace
- Re-translate only the segments that changed
- Reuse approved translations across every course
The AI coworkers behind the work
Each coworker takes one part of keeping training current in every language. Your L&D team and regional experts approve every version.
Chief of Staff
Tell your Chief of Staff what changed in the business, and it coordinates the coworkers that update, translate and check your training.
Content Translator Coworker
Translates courses, videos, documents and job aids into 280+ languages with your glossary and translation memory.
Content Update Coworker
Helps find the training a policy or product change affects and re-translates only the new or changed sections.
Reviewer Coworker
Pre-reviews every language for fluency, tone and terminology, so regional experts approve a strong draft instead of rewriting it.
Quality Assurance Coworker
Checks each translated course for terminology, formatting and accuracy errors and gives it a quality score before it reaches learners.
Connect Smartcat to the tools your training content lives in
Translate and review content where your teams already work, from Google Drive and Figma to your help center and CMS. See all integrations
Google Drive
Translate the training docs, decks and sheets your team keeps in Drive.
Google Docs
Send job aids and SOPs from Google Docs and get them back in every language.
Google Sheets
Translate quiz banks and glossaries kept in spreadsheets.
Figma
Localize course visuals and catch text expansion before designs ship.
Contentful
Keep learning content in your headless CMS current in every language.
Zendesk
Translate the help-center articles that support your training.
ServiceNow
Keep knowledge-base articles accurate in every language.
Salesforce Service Cloud
Keep service enablement content current in every language.
WordPress
Publish multilingual learning portals and resource hubs.
Sitecore
Keep intranet and portal content aligned across locales.
What changes when you switch, and what stays
Your LMS, authoring tools and vendors stay
Smartcat works between the source course and your LMS, so the systems around it don’t change. Your translation vendor’s linguists can work inside Smartcat, next to your own reviewers.
Stays as it is
LMSAuthoring toolTranslation vendor
Moves into Smartcat
Rebuilding per languageReview routingRepackaging per LMS
Start with one course, not a migration
Pick the course that is late today, run it through Smartcat with your own reviewers and test the result in your LMS. Nothing else has to move first.
- Upload one courseSCORM package, XLIFF export, deck or video
- Review it with your teamIn the browser, with no software to install
- Test it in your LMSSame format, ready to upload
Start with the format you already export
If your team only sends XLIFF today, start there: Smartcat translates XLIFF exports from your authoring tool and returns them ready to re-import. Add SCORM packages, decks, PDFs and video when you need them.
- XLIFFStart here: export, translate, re-import
- SCORMPPTXPDFMP4Add later, in the same workspace with the same glossary
When switching isn’t worth it yet
If your courses rarely change and updates cause no real delay, rework or governance issue, a change-driven workflow may not be a priority yet. Quantify the cost and risk of the updates you do have first.
Switching pays off when
- A launch, SOP or policy change is waiting on translation
- The same course is rebuilt for every language
- Regions train on an old version while updates queue
- Reviews run through email and spreadsheets
G2 Reviews
Resources and insights
Frequently asked questions
What is L&D localization?
L&D localization adapts training, such as courses, SCORM packages, videos and job aids, so employees in every market can learn in their own language and context. Smartcat combines AI translation with your glossary, translation memory and expert review, so localized training keeps pace with changes to the source course instead of trailing months behind it.
What is the best way to localize training for a global workforce?
Treat each course as one asset that moves through translation, review and LMS upload together, instead of a new project per language. Choose a platform that translates course files without a rebuild, applies one glossary everywhere, lets regional reviewers approve in the browser and re-translates only what changes. Smartcat is built for that workflow; a team translating one course a year may not need a platform.
How do I translate training materials such as job aids and SOPs?
Upload the files as they are (PDF, Word or PowerPoint) to the same Smartcat project as the course they support. Each translation comes back in the original format with its layout, tables and images in place, and your glossary keeps terms consistent between the course and its handouts.
How do I choose a training translation partner?
Check which course formats they handle without a rebuild (SCORM, XLIFF exports, video), how they keep terminology consistent across courses, whether your own reviewers can approve translations, how they handle updates to courses that are already translated, and which security standards they meet. Smartcat is ISO 27001 certified and SOC 2 Type II compliant. If you want linguists to run the whole project, see eLearning translation services.
Can I try Smartcat for free?
Yes. Smartcat’s free trial runs for 15 days with 15,000 Smartwords and full access to translation capabilities, with no credit card required. That is enough to translate a real course from your own material, review it with your team and test the result in your LMS before you choose a plan.
How long does it take to translate a training course?
It depends on course length, the number of languages and how much review you add, so Smartcat does not promise one turnaround for every course. As a reference, Intradiem translated 20 Articulate® Rise® courses into Canadian French in six weeks, with a publication-ready first pass. Most of the elapsed time goes to review and approval, which you control. Because the course is not rebuilt per language, all languages can go live together instead of one region at a time.
How accurate is Smartcat’s AI translation for training content?
92% of words translated by Smartcat AI for paying customers are accepted without a single human edit. Accuracy rises further as your glossary, translation memory and reviewer corrections feed back into the platform, and for regulated or learner-facing training you can add a review step with Smartcat Marketplace linguists. You decide which content needs expert review before it is published.
How do I keep translated courses in sync when the source changes?
Update the source course in Smartcat and re-translate only the changed segments; everything previously approved is reused from translation memory. On current plans, segments matched 100% or more by translation memory use no Smartwords, so an update costs only the new words. Reviewers see just the changed text, and the updated files export in their original format.
Do translated courses keep SCORM tracking and quiz logic?
Yes. The text and the media you select are translated in place and the package structure is written back unchanged, so tracking and quiz logic keep working. Details are on our SCORM translation page.
Can regional teams review translations before they go live?
Yes. Smartcat lets you invite in-country reviewers or your own trainers into the workflow, and they approve or edit translations in the browser before anything is published, with no software to install. Users are unlimited on every plan, so adding reviewers adds no seat costs, and every reviewer edit is stored in translation memory for the next course.
Can regions adapt training while HQ keeps control?
Yes. With Smartcat, HQ keeps the shared parts consistent through glossaries, translation memory and approval steps, while regional reviewers adapt examples, terminology and tone for their market. You decide which courses need central sign-off, such as compliance training, and which regions can approve locally. Map what must stay central before you open local adaptation.
Do we need to replace our LMS?
No. Smartcat works before your LMS: it translates and prepares course files, then exports packages your LMS already accepts, such as SCORM. Your LMS keeps delivering and tracking training. What changes is how quickly an approved version reaches it in every language after the source course changes.
How much does Smartcat cost for L&D teams?
Smartcat charges by Smartwords, its single usage unit: one source word processed by an AI action uses one Smartword per target language, and AI dubbing for course voiceover uses 10 Smartwords per dubbed word, charged only on download. Plans include a Smartwords allowance shared by unlimited users, and 100%+ translation-memory matches are free on current plans. See current plans on the pricing page.
Is our training content secure in Smartcat?
Yes. Smartcat is ISO 27001 certified and SOC 2 Type II compliant, encrypts content in transit and at rest, and isolates every workspace, with role-based access, SSO and audit trails on enterprise plans. Your training content is never used to train public AI models, and it is deleted or returned within 30 days of a written request. Details are on the security page.
Is Smartcat affiliated with Articulate?
No. Smartcat is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or otherwise associated with Articulate Global, LLC. Articulate®, Rise® and Storyline® are trademarks of Articulate Global, LLC. All product names and trademarks on this page belong to their respective owners and are used only for identification.
Didn’t find your answer? Talk to an L&D specialist
Trademark notice. Smartcat is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or otherwise associated with Articulate Global, LLC. Articulate®, Articulate 360®, Rise®, and Storyline® are trademarks of Articulate Global, LLC. All product names, logos, and trademarks referenced on this page are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification and descriptive purposes only. Smartcat’s file-format support is built on publicly documented standards and does not imply any partnership or certification.
Be the team that keeps the business current, not the step that slows it down
Start with one course and see what changes when training can keep pace.