Blog
The Translation Was Correct. The Research Was Not.
27th August 2026
Why linguistic accuracy alone is not enough in international market research There is a comforting assumption in multilingual research: If the translation is accurate, the research will be accurate too. Unfortunately, it is not quite that simple. A translation can be linguistically excellent and still fail to reproduce what the original researcher intended. That distinction… Read more »
The Translation Brief That Arrives Too Late
11th August 2026
Why the best time to involve your translation partner is often before the questionnaire is finished. There is a familiar moment in an international research project. The questionnaire has been written. The methodology has been agreed. The sample is being organised. Fieldwork is approaching. And then someone says: “We need this translated into eight languages.”… Read more »
When the Right Answer Comes from the Wrong Question
4th August 2026
Every experienced researcher knows the frustration. The data is impeccable. The sample is representative. The analysis is statistically sound. And yet the conclusions somehow feel… wrong. Often, the problem did not begin with the answers. It began with the question. The smallest linguistic ambiguity can travel through an entire research project unnoticed. A word that… Read more »
The ESOMAR Global Market Research Report 2026 Tells an Interesting Story – But One Detail Deserves More Attention
29th July 2026
Growth is encouraging. Comparability is essential. When ESOMAR publishes its annual review of the global insights industry, most readers understandably focus on the rankings, acquisitions and growth figures. This year’s report paints a picture of an industry that continues to evolve despite economic uncertainty. Among the headline observations are: The global insights industry is expected… Read more »
The Most Dangerous Word in International Research Is Not ‘Translation’
28th July 2026
It is ‘Equivalent’. During my years working with international market research agencies, I have learned that the biggest problems rarely begin with poor translation. They begin much earlier. They begin when everyone in the project assumes that a survey question means exactly the same thing in every country. It almost never does. And that is… Read more »
Why Do We Say “Bless You” After Someone Sneezes?
20th July 2026
A simple phrase with a surprisingly long history. Every day, millions of people say exactly the same two words. “Bless you.” We say them almost automatically after someone sneezes. Rarely do we stop to ask why. The tradition is so deeply embedded in everyday life that it feels almost instinctive. Yet its origins remain surprisingly… Read more »
What Do an Orange, a Robot and a Cup of Coffee Have in Common?
13th July 2026
The remarkable journey of everyday words across the world. At first glance, there seems to be very little connecting an orange, a cup of coffee, a tomato, a sofa, a potato and a toy robot. One is a fruit. Another is a piece of furniture. One is a vegetable. Another belongs to science fiction. Yet… Read more »
The Words That Disappeared
10th June 2026
Languages are living things. They expand, contract, borrow, invent and, occasionally, forget. Every year new words emerge to describe technologies and behaviours that previous generations could never have imagined. At the same time, older words quietly disappear from everyday conversation. Some deserve to. Others perhaps deserve a second chance. Overmorrow English speakers have a perfectly… Read more »
Why English Speakers Say “Sorry” So Much
27th May 2026
English speakers apologise constantly. Not only after genuine mistakes. But also for: asking questions making requests interrupting briefly passing too closely beginning disagreement drawing attention to themselves In many situations, “sorry” has little to do with fault. It functions socially instead. “Sorry” as Social Softening In English-speaking cultures, particularly British English, apology often acts as… Read more »
Some Languages Have No Word For “Please”
26th May 2026
English speakers often think of politeness as something attached to individual words. “Please.” “Thank you.” “Sorry.” These terms function almost like social lubrication: small verbal signals that soften requests and maintain harmony. But not all languages organise politeness this way. And some do not contain a direct equivalent for “please” at all. Politeness Exists Differently… Read more »
