Executing international market research surveys at scale is a complex endeavor. If translation is part of the process it can increase complexity (plus cost and timing) exponentially depending on how many languages you're working with. And let's be honest, there is always a demand to get it done faster.
AI is revolutionizing the translation process, and market research content is a perfect candidate for applying AI workflows. While there is still a narrow window of content that can be reliably translated by only AI (without any human intervention), AI can still safely be applied to a broad spectrum of other market research content types with humans in the loop.
In this blog entry we'll explore the various types of market research content types and the pros and cons of applying AI workflows to each. We'll help guide you to where you can safely and reliably apply AI to market research translation.
The Best Market Research Content for Applying AI Translation
AI Language Translation of Open-Ended Survey Responses
Pros: Survey responses is one place where AI can really shine. Due to the simplicity of the wording of survey responses (generally speaking), AI can provide a high quality translation for the majority of open ended survey responses. Since high volume projects and demands for high speed turnarounds are common with survey translation projects, AI can really fit the bill here. With many of the primary platforms (Decipher, Qualtrics, Survey Monkey) there's even the potential to connect via API for translation, making the process that much easier and faster!
Cons: If there are additional requirements - demands for high quality translation, scrubbing, etc - it may be necessary to include a human in the loop. Another situation that might require a human is when translating highly sensitive content, or nuanced content. In these situations AI alone won't be able to provide the level of translation quality required.
Summary: Of all the varieties of content that need to be translated related to a market research study, survey responses are a prime candidate for a fully automated AI workflow. That being said, you will still want to make sure you take the specifications of the project into account, and work with the AI engine that will be the best match for your content type and language(s).
AI and Social Media Monitoring
Pros: This is another place where AI can really shine depending on the project specifications. AI can quickly translate large volumes of social media data, providing insights into consumer sentiment and trends across different markets. It can also help identify potential crisis situations.
Cons: AI might struggle with slang, informal language, and cultural references on social media, leading to inaccurate sentiment analysis. Depending on the workflow you design, the rapid pace of social media may be challenging for AI to keep up with real-time trends.
Summary: AI can be used for initial social media monitoring, but human analysis is essential to accurately interpret sentiment and identify relevant trends.
Where we Recommend Keeping a Human in the Loop
Can AI translate Market Research surveys?
Pros: AI can rapidly translate surveys into multiple languages, increasing respondent pools and enabling faster data collection. It can also maintain consistency in question wording across different languages. The primary advantage here is definitely speed, with a potential secondary boost in cost savings.
Cons: AI might struggle with complex survey questions, idioms, or cultural nuances, leading to inaccuracies. In addition, AI really struggles with understanding context. This can lead to mistranslation when the AI doesn't understand how survey questions connect to each other and how this impacts the approach for translation. Sensitive or confidential information within surveys requires careful handling and might not be suitable for AI translation. Survey programming can really throw AI for a loop, so increased complexity in your programming will likely lead to a strong need for human intervention.
Summary: While AI can accelerate survey translation, human review is still essential to ensure accuracy and cultural appropriateness, especially for complex or sensitive content. AI will certainly stumble when trying to translate a survey with complex programming. For survey questionnaire translation we recommend either a full human translation, or an AIHT (AI-Assisted Human Translation) workflow.
Translating Data Analysis Reports
Pros: AI can translate complex statistical data and findings efficiently, making research insights accessible to global stakeholders. It can also streamline the report creation process.
Cons: AI might have difficulty accurately translating technical terms, statistical data, and visualizations. Nuances in data interpretation can be lost in translation if not carefully reviewed.
Summary: AI can be a valuable tool for translating data analysis reports, but human experts should review the translated content to ensure accuracy and clarity. With reporting information it's critical to have the human in the loop since this is related to the final deliverable to the end client, you want to present a high quality, polished product.
Translating Market Research Reports
Pros: AI can efficiently translate comprehensive market research reports, allowing for faster dissemination of insights to global teams. It can also reduce the cost of translating large amounts of content, which may allow the market research end-client to translate into more languages with the same budget.
Cons: AI might struggle with complex industry-specific terminology, cultural references, and the overall tone of the report. Inaccurate translations can impact decision-making.
Summary: AI can be used to create initial drafts of market research reports, but human translators are needed to refine the content and ensure cultural appropriateness. Since this is the final output of the research process, it's critical that the translation be of the highest quality.
AI and Multilingual Focus Group Transcriptions (Qualitative Content)
Pros: AI can quickly transcribe focus group discussions in multiple languages, providing researchers with valuable qualitative data. It can also help identify key themes and sentiments. This includes both text and audio output.
Cons: AI might struggle with accents, background noise, or multiple speakers, leading to transcription errors. Capturing nuances in language and tone can be challenging for AI.
Summary: AI transcription tools have advanced significantly, and are incredibly powerful and accurate. Therefore, AI can be used as a starting point for focus group transcriptions, but we still recommend human review to ensure accuracy, and to capture the richness of qualitative data.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while AI is undeniably transforming the landscape of market research translation (and market research itself), it’s essential to recognize its limitations. While it offers significant speed and efficiency gains in translation, human expertise remains indispensable for ensuring accuracy, cultural sensitivity, and the depth of understanding required for actionable insights.
The optimal approach is a synergistic blend of human intelligence and AI capabilities. This includes selecting the proper AI engine for translation (Amazon AWS, DeepL, Google Translate, etc) to match your content type and language requirements. Working with a partner that's skilled in designing AI translation workflows can provide you with the benefits that come with AI, while still producing a high quality and accurate final product.
By carefully selecting AI applications and complementing them with human review, market research teams can maximize the benefits of both worlds. As AI technology continues to evolve, we can anticipate even greater potential for streamlining international market research while preserving the critical role of human judgment.
What can AI do for your Market Research Translation Process?
Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the way translation is being done. From advances in machine translation, to productivity tools being introduced a multiple stages of the process, AI-assisted Human Translation (AIHT) is the wave of the future.We can help guide you along in the process of incorporating AI into your existing process, or build your translation workflow from scratch. Let us show you how.