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Translating Lessons and Managing Language Versions

Guide to generating, translating, and managing multilingual lessons in Mindsmith.

K
Written by Katie McMurray
Updated over a week ago

Mindsmith includes several tools for translation and localization so you can adapt content for a global audience without creating unnecessary complexity. This guide explains what languages are supported, how to generate and translate lessons, and the different options available for managing multilingual content.

Jump to Section

  • Languages Supported in Mindsmith

  • Generating a Lesson in a New Language

  • Translating Existing Lessons

  • Importing and Exporting Translations

  • Multi-Language Feature Availability by Plan


Languages Supported in Mindsmith

Mindsmith currently supports generating and editing lessons in 53 languages. This means you can create new content directly in the target language or translate existing material later.

Languages Currently Supported

  • Arabic

  • Bahasa

  • Bengali

  • Bulgarian

  • Cantonese

  • Chinese (Simplified)

  • Czech

  • Danish

  • Dutch

  • English

  • English (UK)

  • Estonian

  • Finnish

  • French

  • Galician

  • German

  • Greek

  • Haitian Creole

  • Hausa

  • Hebrew

  • Hindi

  • Hungarian

  • Icelandic

  • Igbo

  • Italian

  • Japanese

  • Kannada

  • Korean

  • Latvian

  • Lithuanian

  • Malagasy

  • Malay

  • Marathi

  • Norwegian

  • Polish

  • Portuguese

  • Portuguese (Brazil)

  • Romanian

  • Russian

  • Slovak

  • Slovenian

  • Spanish

  • Spanish (Latin America)

  • Swahili

  • Swedish

  • Tamil

  • Telugu

  • Thai

  • Turkish

  • Ukrainian

  • Urdu

  • Vietnamese

  • Yoruba

If the language you need is not listed, you can reach out to Mindsmith Support to request additional options.

Language features vary by subscription tier:

  • Free Tier: Generate content in supported languages only.

  • Professional Tier: Translate lessons into new languages as separate lesson files.

  • Business and Enterprise Tiers: Manage multiple language versions within a single lesson, with automatic adaptation to the learner’s device settings.


Generating a Lesson in a New Language

When you know from the outset that a lesson should be delivered in a specific language, you can set this at the storyboard stage:

  1. Open your storyboard.

  2. Go to Lesson Settings.

  3. Choose your preferred language from the Lesson Language dropdown.

  4. Generate your lesson.

All lesson text will be generated in that language from the beginning. For example, if you are developing a compliance training module for a French-speaking workforce, selecting French here means your content will be produced directly in French, avoiding the need for later translation.


Translating Existing Lessons

You may have a need to provide an existing lesson in a different language. Mindsmith offers two approaches, each designed for different scenarios.

1. Multi-Language Versions Within a Single Lesson

On Business and Enterprise tiers, you can house multiple translations (language versions) within a single lesson using the Manage Lesson Translations option. This is especially valuable for global audiences because learners automatically see the version that matches their device’s language settings—even inside SCORM packages. All versions stay linked together, so analytics and tracking remain unified while each translation can still be edited independently.

To access Manage Lesson Translations:

  1. Open the lesson editor.

  2. Click the settings gear icon in the top-right corner.

  3. In the Lesson Settings modal, open the Preview Information tab.

  4. Next to Lesson Language, click Add language versions.

This opens the Manage Lesson Translations window, where you can:

  • Set the main language of the lesson.

  • Add new language versions from the supported list.

  • Import or export text for translation using the XLIFF workflow.

💡 Tip: Multi-language versions adapt automatically to learners’ device settings. If a learner’s browser or phone is set to Spanish, they will see the Spanish version of your lesson without needing to select it. This eliminates the need to manage multiple separate files for different audiences.

2. Creating a New Lesson in a Different Language

If you want to create a separate translated copy of a lesson, you can use the Translate Lesson option from the kebab (⋮) menu. This generates a brand-new lesson file in the selected language, which can then be managed and edited independently. This option is available on Professional, Business, and Enterprise tiers.

To create a new translated lesson:

  1. From your Dashboard, locate the lesson you want to translate.

  2. Hover over the lesson and click the kebab menu (⋮).

  3. Select Translate Lesson from the menu.

  4. Choose the target language from the dropdown.

  5. Confirm, and Mindsmith will create a new lesson file in that language.

This method is useful if you expect language versions to diverge — for example, when adapting content for region-specific compliance policies, examples, or terminology.


Importing and Exporting Translations

Mindsmith supports translation workflows through XLIFF import and export. This allows you to work with external translation services or internal localization teams.

To use this option:

  1. From the Manage Lesson Translations window, choose Import/Export.

  2. Select a target language.

  3. Click Download XLIFF to export the lesson text for translation.

  4. Once translated, upload the XLIFF file back into Mindsmith using the Upload XLIFF option.

This approach is helpful if you rely on professional translators or if you need to align lesson text with existing localization workflows.


Feature Availability by Plan

Feature

Free

Professional

Business

Enterprise

Generate and edit content in 53 languages

Translate lessons into a new language

Multi-language versions within a single lesson

Learn more about plan comparisons and feature-by-feature availability here.


Key Takeaways

  • Lessons can be generated directly in different languages using Lesson Settings.

  • On Business and Enterprise tiers, multi-language versions keep translations unified within a single lesson, automatically adapting to learners’ device settings.

  • The Translate Lesson option from the kebab menu creates a new, separate lesson in the selected language.

  • XLIFF import/export allows teams to handle translations outside of Mindsmith and re-import them.

  • Language support covers 30 languages, and new languages can be requested through Support.

These tools reduce the complexity of managing multilingual content and make it easier to serve global learners from a single platform.

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