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.
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 human assistance, AI can still safely be applied to a broad spectrum of other market research content types.
In this blog entry we'll explore the various types of market research content types and the pros and cons of applying AI workflows.
Survey Translation
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.
Cons: AI might struggle with complex survey questions, idioms, or cultural nuances, leading to inaccuracies. Sensitive or confidential information within surveys requires careful handling and might not be suitable for AI translation.
Summary: While AI can accelerate survey translation, human review is essential to ensure accuracy and cultural appropriateness, especially for complex or sensitive content. For survey questionnaire translation we recommend either a full human translation, or an AIPE (AI translation with a human post-edit) workflow.
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.
Cons: For certain types of responses, or if there are additional requirements when processing the responses (scrubbing), AI may not be sufficient. In those cases it still may serve an important purpose in quickly translating a high volume of response and then having a human translator follow to finish the translations according to the required specifications.
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 work with the AI engine that will be the best match for your content type and language(s).
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.
Focus Group Transcriptions
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 can be used as a starting point for focus group transcriptions, but human review is necessary to ensure accuracy and to capture the richness of qualitative data.
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 translation costs.
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.
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.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while AI is undeniably transforming the landscape of market research, 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.