Coursera expands AI-powered translations to 17 popular languages
Consumer and enterprise learners can now access 4,000 courses and 55+ Professional Certificates in languages including French, Greek, and Thai
By Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer, Coursera
In a world that is rapidly globalizing, language barriers continue to pose a significant challenge for learners looking to develop new skills to advance their careers and enter new fields. To help address this gap, we are pleased to announce that we are rapidly expanding our AI-powered translation efforts, helping more learners around the world access education in the languages they are most comfortable with.
All learners can now access 4,000+ courses, 600+ Specializations, and 55+ Professional Certificates from partners like IBM, Meta*, and Microsoft in up to 17 languages, up from seven languages announced for enterprise learners just two months ago. The translations cover the full in-course experience: lecture video subtitles, course readings, quizzes, assessments, assignments, instructions, discussion prompts, course descriptions, and syllabi.
Today, learners can access content in the following languages:
- Arabic (currently available for enterprise learners only)
- Chinese – Simplified (NEW!)
- Dutch (NEW!)
- French
- German
- Greek (NEW!)
- Indonesian
- Italian (NEW!)
- Kazakh (NEW!)
- Polish (NEW!)
- Portuguese – Brazil
- Russian (NEW!)
- Spanish
- Swedish (NEW!)
- Thai
- Turkish (NEW!)
- Ukrainian (NEW!)
More than 450,000 learners have already accessed translations in the initial seven languages and over 58 million registered learners on Coursera are based in countries with one of these 17 languages as their official language. In each course, learners can toggle between their local language or use subtitles for English courses to advance their English language proficiency.
This expansion also spans 55+ Professional Certificates – including 19 certificates from IBM, 8 from Meta, and 6 from Microsoft – to help learners across the globe break into or advance in high-demand careers.
“To continue empowering individuals and reduce language barriers, IBM Professional Certificates on Coursera will now be offered in several languages,” said Nicole Borowski, IBM Learning communications lead. “More people can take advantage of this expanded access to grow and transform their skills.”
“We are thrilled to introduce our Professional Certificates in a variety of new languages,” said Amy Brooks, Director of Business Education at Meta. “As an organization that thrives on connection and breaking down barriers, we’re looking forward to helping even more learners of all backgrounds develop the skills needed to participate in the digital economy.”
To access translated courses, Specializations, and Professional Certificates, head to coursera.org and filter by language in the search menu.
* Professional Certificates from Meta are currently available in Arabic, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Portuguese (Brazil), and Thai. All 17 languages will be available in 2024.
