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Consulting

Questionnaire translation

High-quality questionnaire translation is crucial for the quality of data collected in international studies. We recommend factoring in the translation process early in your project planning in terms of time, personnel, and budget. Ideally, translatability and cultural relevance should be considered during the development of the source questionnaire to ensure a smooth translation process. Our experts provide application-oriented consultation for your project based on scientifically tested methods.

Please note that our consulting services do not include the production of translations for others.

Our consulting service on questionnaire translation

Questionnaire translation process

How should a questionnaire translation (or adaptation) be approached? Our consultation is based on multi-step, team-based translation processes (e.g., the TRAPD model, known from the European Social Survey). In addition, we take into account your project’s specific requirements to balance quality with feasibility.

Questionnaire translatability

Already during the development of a source questionnaire intended for translation into multiple languages, its translatability can be assessed and ensured through various methods. We provide guidance on advance translations—preliminary translations of a non-finalized questionnaire—to identify potential translation issues.

Reference materials for questionnaire translation

Accurate translation decisions require appropriate information about the study (e.g., target audience, survey mode, origin of items, etc.). We advise on the creation and compilation of relevant materials for translation teams.

Cognitive pretesting
Empirically assess the comprehensibility and validity of questions in-depth

Sampling
We draw telephone samples and complex samples for you

Weighting and analysis of complex data
We perform weighting, imputation, or nonresponse bias analyses for you

GESIS survey guides
Practical guidelines on survey methodology topics

SQP - Survey quality predictor
Estimate the measurement quality of questions using meta-analysis

Meet the Experts - Season 1: Survey Methodology
Recorded lectures from our "Meet the Experts" series

QuestionLink
Harmonization of questions for selected constructs with recoding scripts and an R package for your own projects

Get in touch

Behr, Dr. Dorothée
Survey Design and Methodology
Cross-Cultural Survey Methods
 Team lead

+49 (0621) 1246-586
dorothee•behr[at]gesis•org
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