Difference between revisions of "Questionnaire Translation"
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<onlyinclude> | <onlyinclude>'''Questionnaire translation''' refers to the process of translating [[Survey Pilot|survey instruments (or questionnaires)]] into local language(s) of the study area. It is an essential step in conducting a high quality survey. All the hard work put into [[Questionnaire Design|questionnaire design]] will be wasted if the translation is of poor quality, or if the questionnaire cannot be answered by someone because they cannot understand the language in the survey. </onlyinclude> | ||
== Read First == | == Read First == | ||
*It is | *It is important to translate the questionnaire into all local languages spoken in the study area, and researchers must agree upon translations for each question. | ||
* | *Incomplete or poor translation can, at best, result in loss in nuance intended by the research team, and at worst, completely change the meaning of a question. This can undo all the work that goes into [[Questionnaire Design|planning]] carefully-worded questions. | ||
* | *The research team should set aside time for '''back-translation''', which is the process of having a translator translate the local-language version of a questionnaire '''back''' to the original language, which is often english. | ||
*It is important to discuss and agree upon translations during [[Enumerator Training|enumerator training]]. | |||
*Questionnaires often go through multiple stages of translation and back-translation. Therefore, '''version control''' is important, as it involves maintaining copies of each version during the translation process, so that no information is lost. | |||
''Note: This section assumes that the working language of the research team is different | ''Note: This section assumes that the working language of the research team is different from the local language(s) in the study area.'' | ||
== Guidelines == | == Guidelines == | ||
Researchers must keep complete, back-checked, translations for all questions in the survey instrument, and share these with enumerators. This is important to guarantee consistency. Keep in mind that having numerators translate on the go is '''not recommended''' either, as consistency and accuracy of translation can vary across enumerators. This can lead to significant '''enumerator effects''', that is, there can be differences in the way a question is asked to each respondent because different enumerators share different versions/translations of the same question. | |||
=== | === The translation process === | ||
Poor-quality translation will cause delays, confusion, field errors, and potentially inaccurate data. Good translation takes time - budget at least two weeks, and expect to made edits and corrections for significantly longer. | Poor-quality translation will cause delays, confusion, field errors, and potentially inaccurate data. Good translation takes time - budget at least two weeks, and expect to made edits and corrections for significantly longer. | ||
Revision as of 19:02, 20 March 2020
Questionnaire translation refers to the process of translating survey instruments (or questionnaires) into local language(s) of the study area. It is an essential step in conducting a high quality survey. All the hard work put into questionnaire design will be wasted if the translation is of poor quality, or if the questionnaire cannot be answered by someone because they cannot understand the language in the survey.
Read First
- It is important to translate the questionnaire into all local languages spoken in the study area, and researchers must agree upon translations for each question.
- Incomplete or poor translation can, at best, result in loss in nuance intended by the research team, and at worst, completely change the meaning of a question. This can undo all the work that goes into planning carefully-worded questions.
- The research team should set aside time for back-translation, which is the process of having a translator translate the local-language version of a questionnaire back to the original language, which is often english.
- It is important to discuss and agree upon translations during enumerator training.
- Questionnaires often go through multiple stages of translation and back-translation. Therefore, version control is important, as it involves maintaining copies of each version during the translation process, so that no information is lost.
Note: This section assumes that the working language of the research team is different from the local language(s) in the study area.
Guidelines
Researchers must keep complete, back-checked, translations for all questions in the survey instrument, and share these with enumerators. This is important to guarantee consistency. Keep in mind that having numerators translate on the go is not recommended either, as consistency and accuracy of translation can vary across enumerators. This can lead to significant enumerator effects, that is, there can be differences in the way a question is asked to each respondent because different enumerators share different versions/translations of the same question.
The translation process
Poor-quality translation will cause delays, confusion, field errors, and potentially inaccurate data. Good translation takes time - budget at least two weeks, and expect to made edits and corrections for significantly longer.
Once the content of the questionnaire is finalized (after content-focused pilot), follow these steps for translation:
- Forward translation : from the language of the research team to the local language(s). This process that could take a few days to a few weeks, depending entirely on the complexity of the survey instrument.
- Back translation: when you receive the first translation, send the local language version only to a second translator, and have it translated back to the language the questionnaire was originally written in.
- Reconciliation: compare the original questionnaire to the back-translated questionnaire. Highlight any discrepancies. It is a good idea to categorize these as either minor wording issues, or significant content concerns. Organize a meeting with the two translators, to discuss all discrepancies and agree on a final translation. Keep track of all questions where significant content concerns were noted, and discuss with local counterparts to ensure the final wording reflects the original intent.
Example: a questionnaire to be fielded in Malawi to a Chichewa-speaking population. The research team finalizes an English version of the questionnaire. It is then forward translated from English to Chichewa. The Chichewa version is then provided to a second translator for back translation from Chichewa to English. The two English versions are compared, and the Chichewa is discussed and refined, to reconcile all discrepancies between the back translation and the original version.
Who should translate?
Good translation requires significant time and skill. Best practice is to work with a professional translator with sector-specific knowledge, and experience translating surveys. Double-check all technical terminology with local counterparts well-versed in the area of the project (for example, for agricultural surveys, double-check translations of specific technologies of interest with agricultural extension officers or other trainers).
The mother tongue of the forward translator should be the local language. The mother tongue of the back translation should be the language of the research team.
Commonly suggested, but problematic, options for translators:
- the survey firm manager: unlikely to have sufficient time / attention / sectoral knowledge to dedicate to the task
- government counterparts: likely to have the right sectoral knowledge, but unless released from other duties, unusual to be able to devote sufficient time
- local consultant without translation experience: translation is challenging; fluency in the relevant languages is not always sufficient (and do not assume that oral fluency implies written fluency, which is necessary for this translation task)
The back translator should have no relation to the first translator. Beware of power dynamics between the two translators, that could affect decisions made during the reconciliation (e.g. if one translator is an employee of the other, or significantly lower in government hierarchy).
Version Control
Expect to make lots of corrections and refinements to translations through the data-focused pilot and Enumerator Training. It is a good idea to discuss all questions with discrepancies during Enumerator Training as a triple-check of the final translation. Throughout this process, it is essential to have at least one bilingual staff member that can carefully record all translation corrections.
To avoid version control issues, we recommend that the paper version of the questionnaire used for Enumerator Training includes the original language and all translations, side-by-side. Notes on all needed corrections or refinements can then be easily incorporated into all languages, without worries of different versions.
What about cases when oral translation is required, i.e. no written language?
Enumerator Training will need to be extended to spend significant time on translation. During training, have several people suggest translations for each question, then discuss and agree as a group. Leave space on the paper version of the questionnaire for enumerators to write the transliterated versions of the questions. Spend extra time doing mock interviews, with focused feedback on the translation.
Back to Parent
This article is part of the topic Questionnaire Design
Additional Resources
- DIME Analytics’ guidelines on survey design and pilot