Language Translation Overview
Skyllful delivers one Lesson in several languages rather than a separate Lesson per language, so the structure you build once is reused and only the text and the screens that genuinely differ are localized.
How does translation work in Skyllful?
One Lesson serves every language. You build the Lesson once, and each enabled language holds its own set of text and, where it is needed, its own screens. Learners see the Lesson in their language, and your team maintains one structure rather than one Lesson per region.
That means translation is not a single action. It is four pieces of work, and they happen in different places.
The work |
Where it happens |
|---|---|
| Turn the languages on | Learning Program Settings, on the Language Settings tab. Nothing else appears until this is done. |
| Translate the text | The Translations screen, field by field, with an AI Translate button on every field. |
| Translate the titles | A Course or Module Actions menu, which handles a set of titles in one command. |
| Localize the screens | The Lesson Builder, by assigning a language-specific Screen Replica to a step where the application genuinely looks different. |
What has to happen first?
A language has to be enabled for the Learning Program. Until then, no language selector, no Translations screen, and no language appears in any menu.
- A program can have as many languages on at once as it needs. This is not a single choice.
- Enabling a language translates nothing. It opens the door.
- If the language your team needs is not on the list, it can be requested. Ask your Local Administrator to submit the request to Skyllful, naming the language and the Learning Program.
What does the AI translate, and what does a person still do?
Every Translate button in Skyllful runs the AI. There is no separate AI mode to switch on, and no whole-Lesson command.
The AI marks its own work. A translation it generates arrives with an asterisk at the front, and that asterisk means no person has confirmed it yet. On the Translations screen, setting Element Status, Filter By to Unreviewed lists everything still carrying one. A reviewer reads the translation against its English original, corrects it if it needs correcting, deletes the asterisk, and saves.
Note: Deleting the asterisk is the only signal that a person has read the text. Treat Unreviewed as a queue to clear before a language is released rather than as a soft suggestion.
What can be translated?
Level |
What is held per language |
|---|---|
| Learning Program | The program title. |
| Assignments | Assignment names. |
| Courses and Modules | Their titles. |
| Lessons | Title and description, and for each mode the title, description, mode name, and skills covered. |
| Steps | Step title and description, the Walkthrough prompt text and Practice hint for each element, the Quick Reference Guide overrides, and the Video voiceover script, instructions, and phonetics. |
| Screens | A language-specific Screen Replica per step, where one is needed. Otherwise the English screen is reused. |
| Non-text assets | Items such as the Lesson thumbnail, which are supplied per language rather than translated. |
What should you watch out for?
Untranslated text appears blank, not in English. Skyllful does not substitute English into an empty field, so switching Studio to a language where the work is unfinished shows empty course names, empty lesson titles, and empty descriptions. It looks like content has been lost and it has not. The Missing Translations filter on the Translations screen finds what is still open.
Bulk title translation overwrites reviewed work. Running Translate from a Course or Module Actions menu replaces every title in its scope, including titles a translator has already reviewed, and the replacement comes back marked unreviewed. There is no confirmation and no undo. Use it early as a first pass, then work through the Translations screen once a Course has been reviewed.
A language-specific screen is a small rebuild, not a swap. The elements on it have to be tagged before the step will work, so budget for that before deciding a step needs its own screen.
Best practice: Before you release a language, preview each Assignment and everything in it in Skyllful Simulator, in that language. The Translations screen tells you what is missing from its own list of fields. Simulator shows you what a learner actually sees, which is where a missing screen, an English image, or an untranslated prompt turns up. Walk every mode, not only the first one, since prompts and hints are translated per mode.
Frequently asked questions
Do you build a separate Lesson for each language?
No. One Lesson holds every language. That is the point of the design, and it is why the structure only has to be maintained once.
Does Skyllful translate a whole Lesson in one click?
No. Lesson content is translated field by field on the Translations screen. Titles are the exception, and those can be done in sets from a Course or Module Actions menu.
Can you use your own translations instead of the AI?
Yes. Type or paste the translation straight into the target field and save. The Translate button is a shortcut, not a requirement.
Do screen images have to be recaptured for every language?
No, and usually they should not be. The English screen is reused unless you assign a language-specific one, which is worth doing only where the translated application genuinely looks different.
How do you know a language is ready to release?
Nothing is left under the Missing Translations filter, nothing is left under Unreviewed, and someone has walked the Assignments in Simulator in that language.
Who does what?
An Administrator enables the languages. A Content Developer translates and assigns screens. A person who reads the target language reviews the AI output and clears the asterisks.
Where can you get help?
If you need help, start with your manager, then your Local Administrator. If additional assistance is needed, your Local Administrator can submit a support ticket to Skyllful.
Skyllful Knowledge Base | Content Developers, Instructional Designers, Administrators