Monthly Archives: October 2025
On the Overuse of “Unprecedented” and What it Costs us in Translation
30th October 2025
There was a time when the word “unprecedented” meant something. It signalled true novelty, a moment that had never been seen before in human experience. Then, somewhere between a global pandemic, a thousand press releases and countless headlines, unprecedented became… well, ordinary. Like a coin passed through too many hands, its shine has worn away…. Read more »
The Painter Who Signed His Name Twice
30th October 2025
In the late Renaissance, some painters, anxious about imitation and eager to preserve authenticity, began to sign their works twice. One signature appeared where all could see, a mark of authorship and pride. The other was hidden beneath the paint, applied in the underlayer before the final glazes. It was invisible to the viewer, but… Read more »
The Pigeon Who Misdelivered a War
28th October 2025
In an age before radio was reliable and satellites ruled the skies, messages sometimes flew on feathered wings. During the Second World War, thousands of carrier pigeons were used to deliver critical communications between field units and command posts. They carried secrets, strategies and, on occasion, the fate of lives. One of the most famous,… Read more »
The Map That Invented a Country
23rd October 2025
For centuries, explorers believed in a place that did not exist. It appeared on maps, was discussed in journals and was even given coordinates – a small, mist-shrouded island said to lie west of Ireland. It was called Hy-Brasil. Sailors swore they had seen its outline through the fog; cartographers dutifully inked it onto parchment;… Read more »
The Lost Thread – Keeping Meaning Intact Through Every Stage of Research
21st October 2025
Every piece of communication begins with a thread, a connection between intention and understanding. In market research, that thread runs through the entire process: from the crafting of the initial question, to the translation of responses, to the final presentation of insights. But, as with any intricate weave, it takes only one loose stitch for… Read more »
The Forgotten Margin Note
15th October 2025
In every piece of writing, there are words that carry the message and others that carry its meaning. The former live in the sentences; the latter hide between them. In literature, these subtle cues are sometimes called margin notes: the scribbles, the annotations, the quiet reminders of intent. In market research translation, the same principle… Read more »
The Missing Key – Unlocking Meaning Across Languages
14th October 2025
In any field, accuracy and understanding are essential. Yet, in the realm of market research, these qualities are more than desirable – they are fundamental. A single misplaced phrase, an overlooked nuance or a poorly chosen word can turn valuable findings into something confusing, distorted or, at worst, misleading. Translation plays a pivotal role in… Read more »
The Typo That Tried to Hide
9th October 2025
It began, as these things often do, with a single misplaced letter. A harmless typo. A quiet stowaway in an otherwise immaculate survey. Nobody noticed – not the writer, not the proofreader, not even the project manager. The survey went out to thousands of respondents across several countries. Only when the data began trickling in… Read more »
The Whispering Wall – When Research Gets Lost in Echoes
7th October 2025
Imagine standing in front of a Whispering Wall. You whisper a phrase at one end and someone, far away, hears it at the other. A marvel of acoustics, but also a danger because what if the words change slightly as they bounce along? What if “fresh apples” becomes “pressed maples”? The magic becomes muddled and… Read more »
The Mislabelled Map and the Risk of Going Nowhere Fast
2nd October 2025
Picture yourself standing at a crossroads, map in hand. You trust it to guide you. But as you follow its markings, something feels off. The town you were aiming for is nowhere to be seen. The landmarks do not match. Slowly, it dawns on you: the map is mislabelled. You are still moving but you… Read more »
