Learning English as a second language is a challenging endeavor, and finding the right school to help you in a country where virtually no one speaks your language can be even tougher. If you are a provider of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, you may provide the very best lessons and still be struggling to bring in enough students to fill your rolls. One factor in this difficulty could be that your website may not be in a language that your potential students can understand. A website that supports multiple languages can be one solution to this problem.
Helping Students Find Your English Language School
While many students looking to study English as a Second Language may have some command of the language, virtually none will have mastered it to the extent that they will feel comfortable getting all the information that they need from an English-only website. Your website may boast about your industry-leading graduation rates or reasonable tuition rates, but if the message is not getting to your target demographic it may not lead to substantial results. A student viewing your website for the first time has a lot of questions. What are the tuition rates? Do you have student housing? What is the scope of instruction? Are you confident that you are answering these questions for your prospective students?
Multi-language Support Can Transform Your Website And Your Program
If there is one thing that you can count on, it is that your student body is going to be composed of individuals who are more confident reading, writing, and conversing in their native language. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and what does an English language site with no information in any other language say to the potential student? For the student who needs additional support, not just a classroom environment where they are expected to sink or swim, you could give a false impression that you are not running a student-centered program. While students may be able to translate your website using Google or other services, the results of electronic translation methods are famously garbled. You have the ability to make sure your message comes through loud and clear to the students you wish to enroll with nothing more than a single click of their mouse.
Consider What You Want Your Students To Know On Day One
Even if your website succeeds in promoting a sufficient amount of enrollment, a multi-language website can have many benefits to your students and your teachers. No educator really wants a blank slate of a student to show up to the first day of class. There can be a significant language barrier with ESL students and as much time as possible should be devoted to the lesson plan. Needing to take time to answer questions and concerns that should have been answered by the website can derail lessons and be a cause of frustration for everyone involved.
How A Multilingual Website Can Make A Big Difference
Consider this case study in providing multilanguage support. The ESL Academy of Orange County had an English-only website for many years, relying instead on bilingual recruiters at college fairs to fill their classes. However, after a website redesign that incorporated the most common first languages of their students – Spanish, Chinese and Korean – they realized that they were getting nearly a third more students signing up for classes directly through the website.
Do you have any questions about how multi-language support can transform your website and increase your class sizes? Contact our web designer at UmeWorks in Torrance for an estimate to translate your webiste, and for more information.
