Synthetic English glosses: source version “within the past seven days”; candidate gloss “recently.” Both look fluent but preserve different boundaries.
Survey design and interpretation / Survey guide
Survey methods · Worked example
Pretest meaning across survey translations
Review time periods, actor meanings and response instructions across survey translations before comparing language groups.
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PLAN A BOUNDED FOLLOW-UP
Have competent language reviewers reconcile the reference period and pilot the native-language questions with appropriate respondents before pooling results.
Retain versioned wording, glosses and native-language pilot notes; check whether the same period and actor are understood after revision.
Synthetic planning example. A repeat survey alone does not establish causation.
From question to next step
Make the feedback useful.
Set the decision
Pilot each intended language before collection with volunteers who understand the local context; translate these probes as needed.
Invite relevant voices
Have competent language reviewers reconcile the reference period and pilot the native-language questions with appropriate respondents before pooling results.
Choose an action
Retain versioned wording, glosses and native-language pilot notes; check whether the same period and actor are understood after revision.
A worked interpretation example
From a comment to a practical next step.
Illustrative scenario. These are not customer results.
Keep the finding specific
Synthetic English glosses: source version “within the past seven days”; candidate gloss “recently.” Both look fluent but preserve different boundaries.
Choose an action to test
Have competent language reviewers reconcile the reference period and pilot the native-language questions with appropriate respondents before pooling results.
Check the experience again
Retain versioned wording, glosses and native-language pilot notes; check whether the same period and actor are understood after revision.
A useful starting point
Free-text pilot questions
One draft version refers to the past seven days; a second version’s English gloss says recently. A reviewer must resolve meaning before comparing results.
If nothing was unclear or difficult, say so. Skip questions about steps you did not experience; use not applicable where appropriate.
What period does this question ask you to think about?
Detect a changed reference period rather than assuming the translated wording preserves it.
Who does the actor named in the question refer to?
Find role meanings that differ across language or organizational context.
What would you do if the situation did not apply to you?
Verify that skip and not-applicable instructions survive the translation.
Which expression would you explain differently in your own words?
Invite a paraphrase that exposes ambiguity; ask a competent language reviewer to assess it.
If nothing was unclear or difficult, say so. Skip questions about steps you did not experience; use not applicable where appropriate. What period does this question ask you to think about? Who does the actor named in the question refer to? What would you do if the situation did not apply to you? Which expression would you explain differently in your own words?
Download the questions as text ↓
Examples to adapt, rather than a validated research instrument.
Choose the response format
Make room for the explanation.
| Question | Suggested format | What to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| What period does this question ask you to think about? | Optional short open text | Detect a changed reference period rather than assuming the translated wording preserves it. |
| Who does the actor named in the question refer to? | Optional short open text | Find role meanings that differ across language or organizational context. |
| What would you do if the situation did not apply to you? | Optional short open text | Verify that skip and not-applicable instructions survive the translation. |
| Which expression would you explain differently in your own words? | Optional short open text | Invite a paraphrase that exposes ambiguity; ask a competent language reviewer to assess it. |
Make questions optional where appropriate. If you add a rating scale, label its endpoints, keep one idea per question, and retain a follow-up for reasons. These examples are not a validated measurement instrument.
Read the answers carefully
Limits to preserve
An English gloss or back-translation alone does not prove equivalence. The guide does not certify translations or claim automatic product translation.
Review note: hold cross-language comparisons until the period and actor are reconciled and pretested in the intended languages.
Before you send it
Check what your wording assumes.
Recently, was the local owner helpful?
Within the past seven days, which named service role did you contact, if any?
This illustrative English revision makes time and actor explicit. Actual translation still requires competent review and native-language pretesting.
Run a focused feedback cycle
Plan the invitation, review and follow-up.
When and whom to ask
Pilot each intended language before collection with volunteers who understand the local context; translate these probes as needed.
Who reviews the finding
The questionnaire owner coordinates competent language reviewers and approves versioned wording.
What to check after a change
Recheck period and role interpretation after revision; do not interpret language-group score differences before resolving wording differences.
Handle responses carefully
Keep reviewer notes focused on meaning. Avoid collecting immigration status or identifying comments merely to establish language context.
A worked measurement study
Inspect the data. Trace the decision.
Every record here is synthetic. Use the rule to review your own evidence before taking action.
Keep evidence and inference separate
Observed
Different English glosses for the period
Supports a translation question to investigate.
Unknown
Native-language equivalence
Do not label the candidate translation approved.
Next check
Competent review and native-language pilot
Record actual wording versions and interpretation notes.
Invented records · inspect every count
| Version or requirement | Example wording | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Source English wording | Within the past seven days | Explicit period |
| Candidate English gloss | Recently | Unspecified period |
| Review requirement | Preserve the intended seven-day meaning | Native-language review and pilot pending |
On small screens, scroll a wide table sideways to see all columns.
Download example data (.csv) · Download method worksheet (.json)
Work through the rule
The table shows one concrete semantic mismatch, not a translation-quality score. Both the corrected native text and its respondent interpretation remain to be verified.
Review note: hold cross-language comparisons until the period and actor are reconciled and pretested in the intended languages.
Before you send it
Questions, answered.
Is back-translation sufficient by itself?
No. Here the gloss identifies a problem; competent review and respondent pretesting still need to establish intended meaning.
Are these approved translated questions?
No. They are English examples and probes for planning a review.
Can we combine language-group results immediately?
Resolve meaningful wording differences first and retain collection context; pooling needs a justified analysis plan.
Can I load this example automatically?
No. Copy or download the free-text pilot questions and adapt them in your draft. The registration link does not import them. The calculation worksheet is a separate manual example; verify supported fields and features in your account.
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