Expanding your research to a global audience often requires translating your study into different languages. Outset simplifies this process by automatically translating most interview content, but certain fields must be translated manually to ensure clarity and accuracy. Below is a guide to help you navigate what needs translation, what doesn’t, and best practices for launching multilingual studies.
As of March 2025, Outset supports translation in almost 40 languages! Read more about our languages supported here (LINK).
However - certain fields and types of questions do still require manual translation.
What requires manual translation?
The following must be translated manually before launching your study:
Screener fields
Title, intro text/ disqualification text, and questions in the screener need to be manually translated.
Important: If you are setting up disqualification logic, make sure you understand the translation of the answer choices so the logic applies as expected.
Multiple choice answer options
While multiple choice questions themselves are automatically translated, the answer options must be manually translated. This is because researchers often want an option to preserve very precise wording with multiple choice questions.
Example: If your question is “What is your favorite color?” and the choices are “Red, Blue, Green,” you must manually translate those options (e.g., "Rojo, Azul, Verde" for Spanish).
Rating endpoint labels
For rating/scale questions, any wording for the label of the endpoints must be translated (e.g., 1 = Very Unsatisfied, 5 = Very Satisfied). Note that these labels are optional.
Study title and description
If you are recruiting participants through Outset, the external-facing title and description (found under the "Recruit" tab) must be translated, as these elements will be visible to potential participants
What does NOT require translation?
Many parts of your study will automatically be translated by Outset, so no manual translation is needed for:
Multiple choice questions (only the answer options need translation).
Conversational, text input, and rating/scale questions in the interview guide.
Probing instructions for the AI moderator, except in cases where a specific multiple-choice selection is referenced (see note below).
Study intro and end messages, which will be translated automatically.
As your interview results come in and you begin to complete analysis, it's easy within Outset to translate your results automatically, allowing your team to get a global perspective in record time!
Other watch-outs and best practices
Handling probing instructions
While probes themselves do not require translation, any references to specific multiple-choice answers do.
Example: If a follow-up probe should only be triggered when a participant selects "Sad" in a multiple-choice question, you must reference it in the target language (e.g., “Triste” for Spanish).
If you plan to launch this type of probing instruction, testing different phrasing is recommended.
Testing and reviewing translations
Check disqualification logic carefully to ensure the translated answer options are correctly linked.
We've had many successful launches in countries around the world, with good feedback on translation from native speakers. However, if you want some extra confidence around the translations, native speaker review could be a great way to confirm accuracy before launch.
Translating your study effectively ensures a seamless experience for participants across languages. By knowing which elements require manual translation and which are handled automatically, you can efficiently adapt your study for international research.
If you have specific needs or challenges in translation, feel free to reach out to the Outset team for support! We're also happy to connect you with companies that can provide human translation services if that's useful for your project.