Successful user research with a translator

One of the things that I love about working in South East Asia is that I get exposure to so many different cultures and languages. However, this means that my methods and tools need to flex to work in an environment where we don’t all speak the same language. In this context, I was doing user research where I had to work with a translator for the first time. I learnt a lot, and here I outline my advice if you are using a translator as part of your user research. This was written based on my experience conducting depth interviews, but the central tenants would still apply for other types of qualitative user research.

Before the interview

• Your translator is a key member of your research team. This means you need to induct the translator into your research the same way you would any other team member. For example:

- Brief them thoroughly on your research objectives and goals as they will be much more effective with context.

- Spend some time together to get to know each other and build rapport.

- Brief them on interview techniques and practices (e.g. asking open vs closed questions).

• Try to learn some very basic phrases in the language. E.g. hello, welcome. This can help build some rapport with the participant and make both of you feel comfortable.
• Make sure the translator has time to translate the questions in the interview guide before the interview. This serves two important purposes: 1. It means the translator becomes more familiar with the interview content and 2. It means that during the interview they can spend more time focusing on the interview participant and less time translating questions.

During the interview

• At the start of the interview make sure everyone is properly introduced and their role explained. Translator, researcher, note-taker; make sure the participant understands who everyone is.
• Be conscious that many participants will speak some English - different participants will understand different amounts of the original questions.
• Avoid using metaphors and jargon. Use the most literal language possible. E.g. don’t say ‘scrub information’ say ‘remove information’ don’t say ‘pain point’ say ‘difficulty’ or ‘challenge’. The more literal phrases ensure nothing is lost in translation.
• Encourage the translator to translate often. The longer the breaks between translating the more likely small details will be lost.
• Encourage the translator not to editorialise. All researchers know the feeling when you really want to comment on something that the research participant has just said. Encourage translators to stick to only translating what the participant said otherwise it can make it confusing what is the participant's feedback vs the translator’s opinion.
• Ideally have a note taker who also speaks the language. You will get the most comprehensive notes this way compared to a note taker who only can take note of the translated portions. Alternatively getting a transcript translated can be a good option.
• Even if you don’t speak the language, still pay attention to body language, tone etc. When you really focus, there is a lot you can pick up by just observing the interview.

After the interview

After the interviews it’s time to do your synthesis. If you can, it’s great to have the translator involved in the synthesis as they will have lots of insights from the research process that it’s valuable to capture. 

Working in a virtual context

Since working from home during the time of Covid-19 I’ve been working with a translator while doing interviews over video. There are some specific considerations to keep in mind when working in this context

• If circumstances permit, be in the same physical location as your translator. It makes it easier to build a shared understanding as you can more easily read each other’s body language and there is no risk of glitchy video or other tech issues.
• If you are in different places, use any supplementary chat (e.g. zoom chat, slack) wisely. It can be overwhelming dealing with chat on top of thinking about questions and translating so agree how much you will use the chat and minimise it if possible.
• Have your video on if you can. It’s always nicest if the participant can see you both to build rapport so if you have the bandwidth it’s great if the translator and interviewer can both have their cameras on.

Conclusion

I believe there is great value in all user research and this is absolutely true when working with a translator. Doing research in a context where you don’t speak the language and need to use a translator can be difficult and sometimes frustrating. I hope that these tips based on my experiences are helpful and help get the most value out of your research.

 The  views  expressed  in this article are  mine  alone  and  do  not necessarily reflect the views of my employer