Adaption and Translation of Questionnaires

High-quality questionnaire translation is central to the quality of the data collected in cross-national and cross-cultural studies. We recommend that the translation methods be considered early on in the application and project planning stages, covering timing, personnel, and funding. Ideally, translatability and cultural relevance are already considered during the development of a source questionnaire to ensure a smooth translation process. Our experts will provide you with scientifically proven, application-oriented consulting services for your project. Please note that our consulting services do not include the translation itself. Depending on the language combination, we can gladly refer you to experienced translation service providers.

We Consult You on Adaptation and Translation of Questionnaires

We will be happy to advise you on the translatability of your social science questionnaire as early as the development stage - because even then, various adjustments can be made to facilitate translation. We can support you with our extensive experience of international research projects. We will be happy to discuss possible implementations or alternative procedures with you and offer practical tips, for example for the creation of project and translation instructions, the documentation of a translation project or for the translation itself.

How to Ensure Translatability and Cultural Relevance during Questionnaire Development

Already during the development of a source questionnaire, various methods or activities can be implemented to facilitate translation:

Advance translations or translatability assessments: A-priori translations of a source questionnaire that has not yet been finalised in order to identify possible translation problems
Annotation of questionnaires: Providing item-specific guidance to translators
Cross-cultural procedures (e.g. intercultural design teams, pretests): Improving translatability, cultural relevance, and comparability.

Already during the development of a source questionnaire, we provide consulting services related to translatability and support you with our experience in cross-national research projects.

Translation and Translation Assessment Methods

The TRAPD procedure, which is known from the European Social Survey (ESS), serves as a framework:

Translation: Two parallel translations
Review: Interdisciplinary team discussion with translators as well subject and survey experts
Adjudication: Finalisation process
Pretest: Pretest among the target population
Documentation: Documentation of the entire process

We are happy to discuss possible implementations or alternative procedures with you and offer practical advice, for example for the drafting of project and translation instructions for questionnaire translators, for the documentation of a translation project or for the translation itself.

Request Consultation

Further Services for the Translation of Questionnaires

In addition to our free consulting services which are based on the notion of self-help, we offer more elaborate consultancy services, such as training for translation teams, participation in or lead of translation discussions, the development of item-specific translation instructions or of project-specific translation guidelines. Please note that these additional services are subject to a fee.

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