Mirela
If you want to expand your operations internationally, you need to understand your future audiences. You can do this through a process called multilingual market research. It involves adapting research tools, surveys, and methodologies to gather data across different languages and cultures.
The valuable insights you’ll gain help you make informed decisions that resonate with local audiences. In this article, we explore the tools, techniques, and best practices for conducting multilingual market research, highlighting its importance.
Tools you need for multilingual market research
When doing multilingual market research, you will most likely use a combination of the tools below:
- survey platforms
- translation management tools
- localization services
- data collection and management tools
- focus group and interview platforms
- analytics and data visualization tools
Survey platforms are some of the essential tools used in market research, and in your case, look for one that offers multilingual support. These platforms allow you to design surveys in one language and translate them into multiple languages while maintaining the integrity of the data collection.
Translation and localization tools such as translation management systems (TMS) and localization services are used for translating research materials such as surveys, interviews, or focus group guides. POEditor, for example, is a popular TMS that integrates some of the leading localization service providers. These tools also often include features such as translation memory, which stores previously translated terms or phrases for consistency across projects.
To gather the responses from participants across multiple languages, you can use data collection and management tools. They allow you to track data in real-time and segment it by language or region, as well as organize large datasets. Some of these platforms are designed to integrate with survey platforms and analytics tools.
Once you have all your data, you will naturally turn to analytics tools to make sense of it. Options include statistical analysis software, which help analyze and compare data, and data visualization tools, which you can use to create charts, graphs, and interactive dashboards. These tools are great for highlighting differences or similarities in consumer preferences.
How to perform multilingual market research
We’ll break down market research into six main steps:
Step 1: Defining your research objectives
Some of the most important things you need to outline are the purpose of the research and the target markets. What this means is that you should determine the countries or regions you plan on targeting and the languages spoken by those audiences, and then try to understand consumer behavior by testing product concepts or analyzing market trends in those regions.
Step 2: Creating or adapting your research instruments
During this second step, you will need to design surveys, interview guides, or focus group questions that align with the research goals. Note that these are typically developed clearly in the source language to ensure consistency before any translation takes place. It’s critical you consider cultural relevance during this step because some questions that work in one country may not resonate or could even be offensive in another.
Step 3: Translation and localization
When doing localization, it’s important to work with professional translators who are native speakers and understand the industry. Localization requires adapting the content to fit local customs, values, and even legal norms. A common best practice is back translation, where the translated research instrument (e.g. survey) is translated back into the original language to confirm that the intended meaning has been preserved across languages.
Step 4: Conducting a pilot or pre-test
This phase involves conducting a small-scale version of your research, typically with a limited sample size from each target market. It basically serves as a quality control measure before the full-scale study is launched. You can identify potential issues with the design, translation, or cultural relevance of your research instruments, such as surveys, interviews, or focus group questions.
Step 5: Collecting data
This is where the core research takes place. The way you collect data also varies from region to region, so you should tailor your methods to the specific characteristics of each market. In some regions, face-to-face interviews or phone surveys might be most effective, while in others, online surveys or mobile data collection may be more suitable. There are plenty of multilingual survey platforms that can streamline the process.
Step 6: Analyzing the data
Now that you have gathered all your data, it’s time to analyze it. Responses from different regions should be compared to identify global trends, while also focusing on local differences. You may gain valuable insights for tailoring products or marketing strategies. Interpret the data carefully to avoid any cultural biases or misinterpretations.
Wrapping up
As we learned, multilingual market research helps you know more about consumer behavior, which means you can enhance your product offerings and craft marketing strategies that resonate across regions. It’s a good way not only to avoid costly missteps but also to build stronger connections with your targeted audiences.