𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦: 4 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘴🕒
When designed well, surveys provide actionable insights that can guide marketing strategies, product development and global expansion.
But what happens when your survey needs to reach respondents who don’t speak your primary business language? To maintain the integrity of your data, the survey must be accurately translated and localised for each target market.
However, the act of translation itself can impact the results of a survey. Poorly translated surveys can result in misleading data, jeopardising the success of your market research. Whereas properly translated and localised surveys can deliver accurate, culturally relevant insights that paint a clear picture of consumer preferences.
In this article, we explain how translation impacts marketing research surveys. You will also learn how to implement survey translation into your research while avoiding the pitfalls.
Understanding translation for surveys
Translating surveys is now a necessity in global market research.
Surveys translated into the world’s top 10 languages can potentially engage up to 80% of the global population. This expanded reach provides a more comprehensive picture of consumer opinions, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions that reflect the needs of a truly global audience.
However, businesses often believe that hiring a freelancer or translating with ChatGPT is adequate for marketing surveys. This is a mistake.
Research has found that linguistic differences go far beyond words. Different languages interpret concepts such as time, size and colour differently, as well as broader ideas like intentions, gender and accountability.
Without accurate document translation, surveys may struggle to convey key points to certain audiences, resulting in missed opportunities to capture their true opinions and preferences.
For example, a 2023 study of a Danish survey involving 500,000 participants found that cultural misinterpretations in survey questions led to more frequent inaccuracies than basic linguistic errors.
Marketing surveys require both translation and localisation to accurately convey meaning and convince global respondents to participate.
It’s also essential that respondents across cultures have a consistent understanding of the survey questions. To achieve this, marketers should partner with a translation company that provides consistent translation, cultural localisation, linguistic validation, and accuracy controls across all languages
The benefits of accurate survey translation
Accurate market research translation and localisation do more than just mitigate risk. It improves your market research efforts.
Here’s why investing in expert translation for surveys makes sense.
- Improved data accuracy: When survey questions are clear and culturally relevant, respondents are more likely to provide honest and thoughtful answers. This results in data that reflects genuine consumer opinions and behaviours.
- Expanded reach and representation: By translating your surveys into multiple languages, you can reach a broader audience and gather insights from diverse markets. This helps you identify opportunities and challenges that may not be visible in your primary market.
- Higher response rates: Surveys that are well-adapted to local languages and cultures are more engaging for respondents. This leads to higher completion rates, giving you a larger and more reliable data set.
- Enhanced brand credibility: Localised surveys demonstrate that your business respects and understands the unique needs of different markets. This can strengthen your brand image and build trust with your target audience.
"Localised surveys demonstrate that your business respects and understands the unique needs of different markets."
How to translate and localise surveys effectively
Designing successful multilingual surveys requires careful planning. A major part of this is working with certified, experienced translators.
Here are the steps to getting it right.
1. Research your target cultures and languages
Work with Wolfestone to know everything about your target. Before starting the translation process, clearly outline the goals of your survey and identify your target audience. Understanding the cultural and linguistic background of your respondents will guide your approach to both translation and localisation.
2. Incorporate localisation best practices
Localisation goes beyond word-for-word translation and involves tailoring the survey to align with local customs and cultural norms. For example, in some cultures, respondents may prefer visual aids over numerical ratings. Some cultures also respond differently to colours. For some, a yellow background may be cheerful, but for others, it may represent death or anxiety.
3. Use a collaborative translation approach
Collaborative models involve multiple translators and reviewers to ensure accuracy and consistency. When you work with Wolfestone, a collaborative model is standard.
4. Leverage technology for efficiency
Translation tools like Translation Memory (TM) and AI translation can streamline the process and promote consistency across surveys. However, these tools should complement — not replace — human expertise. There should always be an expert human translator overseeing any machine processes.
5. Test the final product
Before launching your survey, test it with a small group in each target language and market to ensure everything works as intended. Check for issues like broken links, untranslated text or unclear questions.
For global market research, it’s highly recommended to partner with a professional language service provider (LSP) like Wolfestone.
Working with us ensures that your surveys are translated accurately and localised for cultural nuances.
Our global network of certified translators and leading AI technology makes it possible to streamline your research efforts at scale. And, our in-house team of quality control experts ensures consistency across survey languages.
Contact Wolfestone today to schedule a free consultation.
𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 2021 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴.
