Monthly Archives: January 2026
Why Good Research Questions Sound Strange in Other Languages
28th January 2026
A research question that works perfectly in English can sound oddly shaped, overly blunt or quietly confusing once translated into another language. Not because the translation is wrong but because good questions are culturally designed, not linguistically neutral. What Makes a Question “Good” Is Not Universal In English-language research traditions, good questions are often: direct,… Read more »
Why People Answer the Wrong Question Even When They Understand the Language
27th January 2026
In research, misunderstanding is often blamed on poor translation, low respondent engagement or cultural distance. Yet one of the most persistent causes of distorted insight is far subtler: people frequently answer the wrong question, even when they fully understand the words. This is not carelessness. It is human cognition at work. Understanding the Words Is… Read more »
The Languages That Have No Word for “Why”, And How People Ask Questions Without It
21st January 2026
In English, why is one of the first tools we reach for. Why did this happen? Why did you choose that? Why does it matter? We often treat it as essential to curiosity, explanation and understanding. Yet, intriguingly, not all languages rely on a direct equivalent of why – and some avoid it altogether. This… Read more »
When a Sector Pauses to Reflect, Language Matters More Than Ever
19th January 2026
In March 2026, the Market Research Society’s Annual Conference returns ,not only as a showcase of world-class thinking but as a moment of reflection. Eighty years is a long time for any sector. Long enough to have reinvented itself multiple times. Long enough to have seen methods, technologies and assumptions rise, fall, and re-emerge in… Read more »
Winter Minds: Why Cold, Wet Climates Quietly Strengthen Psychological Resilience
14th January 2026
In much of the Western imagination, cold and wet winters are framed as something to be endured rather than valued. Grey skies, shortened days, damp pavements – these conditions are typically associated with lethargy, low mood and impatience for spring. Yet psychology, anthropology and cross-cultural research suggest a more nuanced truth: living through prolonged cold… Read more »
Why respondents say “yes” when they mean “maybe”: a cross-cultural problem in research
12th January 2026
In international research, one of the most persistent risks is not mistranslation, poor sampling or flawed methodology. It is something far quieter – and far more damaging. The word “yes.” Across cultures, “yes” does not always signal agreement, certainty or commitment. In many cases, it signals politeness, deference, uncertainty or even discomfort. When this distinction… Read more »
How Easily Would North Americans Adapt to Greenlandic – And Why That Question Is Often Misjudged
7th January 2026
As Greenland attracts longer-term visitors from North America – remote workers, seasonal residents, researchers – a familiar assumption quietly follows: If English works for now, deeper adaptation will come naturally. With Greenlandic (Kalaallisut), that assumption fails early. Not because the language is obscure, but because it is organised around a fundamentally different understanding of how… Read more »
Three Cultural Differences Between Venezuelan Spanish and North American English That Shape Understanding
5th January 2026
Language does not merely transmit information; it encodes expectations about relationships, authority, emotion and time. Nowhere is this more apparent than when comparing Venezuelan Spanish with North American English. While both are widely used in professional, academic and commercial contexts, they operate according to markedly different cultural assumptions. Below are three of the most prominent… Read more »
