Breaking Language Barriers with Multilingual Surveys

Blocksurvey blog author
Written by Alvin George
Jul 13, 2023 · 3 mins read

Have you ever felt like you needed to connect and gather information from people in different regions, but couldn't because of the language barrier? There might be many instances when you might be in this situation, but this won't be the case now, with the help of Multilingual Survey you can convert a survey from one language to another so that it can be distributed and completed by individuals who speak different languages. It is particularly useful when conducting research or gathering feedback from a diverse population that speaks multiple languages.

What is Multilingual Survey?

The Multilingual Survey feature allows users to easily translate the surveys into different languages so that they can reach a broader range of audiences and make sure the survey is accessible to everyone. This feature will help make it easier to get feedback from a global audience, allowing the survey creator to capture the insights and opinions of a larger number of people.

Survey translation is an incredibly powerful tool for survey designers, allowing the user to quickly and accurately translate any survey into a different language. With this feature, users can create surveys in a variety of languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, and more. The survey can be easily translated into the selected language, so you can be sure that your survey is accurately translated and understood by participants.

Survey Translation with BlockSurvey

BlockSurvey uses LingvaNex Translate services to translate your survey into a different language. We understand the importance of communicating with your target audience in their native language, which is why we provide the translation of surveys into 100+ languages. With the addition of multilingual surveys, you can now reach a wider range of people and get the most out of your survey. Our advanced translator will ensure that the surveys translated are accurate and consistent.

With BlockSurvey’s survey translation, you can now quickly and easily translate your surveys into any language you need. All you have to do is select the language you want to translate into, and the survey is automatically translated for you. You can easily make any changes to the survey through our built-in translation editor. You may also add as many languages as you like and allow participants to select the language at the beginning of the survey.

Uses of a Multilingual Survey

  • Gather information from a diverse group of individuals who speak different languages.
  • Academic research to study the attitudes and behaviours of people from different cultural backgrounds.
  • Gather feedback from employees or customers of a company or organization that operates in multiple countries or regions.
  • Get insights on customer preferences, attitudes and behaviours across different cultures.
  • Improve customer service by providing support in their preferred language.

What are the advantages of a Multilingual Survey?

  • Increased response rate: By providing the survey in multiple languages, it can increase the response rate and ensure that the data collected is representative of the target population.
  • Better representation of target population: A multilingual survey can help to gather information from a diverse group of individuals who speak different languages, which can provide a more accurate representation of the target population.
  • Improved accuracy of data collection: By reducing language barriers, a multilingual survey can improve the accuracy of data collection by ensuring that all participants can understand and respond to the questions being asked.
  • A better understanding of global customer base: By gathering data from different regions and cultures, a multilingual survey can help organizations to understand their global customer base better and make informed business decisions.
  • Improve communication: A multilingual survey can help organizations to communicate effectively with customers and employees who speak different languages.

Best Practices for Using Multilingual Survey

  1. Test the survey with native speakers: Before distributing the survey, it's a good idea to test it with native speakers of each language to ensure that the questions are clear and easy to understand.
  2. Use clear and simple language: Avoid using jargon or complex language in the survey, as this can make it difficult for participants to understand and respond to the questions.
  3. Be consistent with terminology: Use consistent terminology across all languages to avoid confusion and ensure that the data collected is comparable.
  4. Provide clear instructions: Provide clear instructions in each language on how to complete the survey.
  5. Collect feedback: Collect feedback from participants about the survey and use it to improve the survey for future distributions.

How to Use Multilingual Survey in BlockSurvey?

Once the Survey has been created, navigate to the "Settings”.

You can find the Translation settings under the Languages section. Add any language you wish to convert your survey to under Translation.

You can set any language as the Primary survey language, and get a preview of how the survey looks from the preview tab.

You can manually edit the survey translation of Questions, Title and Description and Messages by clicking on “Edit”.

And download them as PDF by clicking on “Export as PDF”.

Additional Use cases

Example: Movie Feedback survey/form is created in English in the builder.

Use Case 1: Translating the Survey to Multiple Languages

Select the "From" language (English) and the "To" language (Spanish) to translate the survey. You can translate the survey/form into as many languages as you want. On the survey-taking screen, respondents can select their preferred language from the dropdown list.

Use Case 2: Setting a Primary Language

From the list of languages set a "Primary" language (Spanish as primary). This means that the form/survey will primarily be displayed in Spanish, but respondents can still select their preferred language from the dropdown list.

Use Case 3: Displaying the Survey in Right-to-Left (RTL)

Check the "RTL" checkbox when a language like Arabic is used in the builder to create a form/survey.

Use Case 4: Customized Link by Language Selection

Use the customize link feature in the “Share” screen and select a language from the dropdown list and create a custom URL. The link will direct the user to the survey in the selected language.

Conclusion

Overall, a multilingual survey is a useful tool to gather information from a diverse group of individuals who speak different languages. This can be useful in a variety of situations, such as market research to understand consumer preferences in different regions, or in academic research to study the attitudes and behaviors of people from different cultural backgrounds. And it can be useful in different aspects of research and feedback gathering, such as increasing response rate, improving data collection accuracy, and showing cultural sensitivity.

Breaking Language Barriers with Multilingual Surveys FAQ

Does the BlockSurvey support multiple languages?

Yes, BlockSurvey supports multiple languages. You can select the language of your choice when creating your survey.

How do I add a new language to my survey?

You can add a new language to your survey by selecting the ‘add language’ option from the survey settings.

How can I translate the survey questions into different languages?

You can use the in-built translation tools to translate the survey questions into different languages. Alternatively, you can also upload a file containing your translations.

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blog author description

Alvin George

Alvin George joined as a Data Analytics Engineer at BlockSurvey and is responsible for gathering the needs of the users to implement it in BlockSurvey. He loves to spend his time playing basketball and singing.

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