Since the first release of Alma, Ex Libris has recognized the importance of providing its customers with the ability to interface with the software in their native language. As a result, Ex Libris has made a significant effort to support multiple languages across its product offerings.

Ex Libris recently added Arabic to the list of languages available for Alma and Primo training kits. Support for Alma, Primo, Leganto and Esploro is available in multiple languages, including Chinese (simplified and traditional), Polish, Welsh, and many others, for training kits, the User Interface and Online Help. This is a considerable achievement that requires a significant investment of time and resources. As an example, there are about 70,000 labels for the full Alma product which need to be translated, amounting to about 180,000 words. In addition, translations have to be updated on a monthly basis in line with Alma's monthly releases. Ex Libris works with a number of translation companies, as well as many partnerships with customers who help with the translation to ensure that translations are accurate and of high quality.

The company partners with a cohort of reviewers to review and ensure the accuracy of the translations. The translations are then uploaded to Alma and are available out-of-the-box to all customers at no additional cost.

For some languages, Ex Libris will work with customer user groups to come to an agreement on the best translation. This ensures that translations are not only accurate but also relevant and appropriate for the local audience.

Ex Libris also provides training materials, including videos, in multiple languages. This means that customers can watch videos with subtitles and hear the voiceover in their native language. This approach makes the learning process much easier for customers and ensures that they can fully understand the training content. In addition, the online help in Alma, Primo, and Leganto, available in multiple languages, is context sensitive and accessible from the software when clicking on the ‘help for this page' button.

Investment in translation services and active partnerships with customer user groups to provide libraries with the ability to interface with Ex Libris software in their native language demonstrates the company's commitment to providing the highest quality service to its customers. With its support for multiple languages and ongoing efforts to update translations, Ex Libris is well-positioned to continue to serve national and university libraries, higher education institutions and other organizations across the globe.

Check out examples of multi-lingual training kits for Alma here. Contact Customer Support if you'd like to take advantage of multi-language support in your product.