Philological understanding is key to accurate international insight, so is the experience of market research. It does not make sense to have a native language market researcher in your corner if he/she is not really a good market researcher, i.e. if he is not sure how to interpret the results, what questions to ask or how to avoid prejudices.
Any benefit of the native market researchers listed below will disappear if the research thing is weak.
The second language of a given country, which has the cultural knowledge, experience in conversations with natives, as well as basic market research skills, is much more valuable than a native speaker with little research skills.
The success of insight depends on the experience of the person.
What we need to remember is the ultimate goal to provide insight into the action back to our client (internal or external) in their own language! Which is often different from that participant.
This means, of course, that all the wonderful insight that has been thoroughly interpreted by a native language researcher of a given country must be translated into another language so that it can be useful.
Reasons why native language researchers should be preferred for market research
In general, the native language market researcher will have the best knowledge of the language, especially in relation to colloquialisms and native culture, which can dramatically influence the meaning.
Understanding the local regionalism differences
In addition to language differences between countries, there are many regionalisms even in the same country. The person studying the native language will appreciate this and will be able to use the questions in the project if and where it is necessary. Participants will not only be able to understand exactly what they were asked for an answer exactly, but their knowledge means comfort and greater involvement.
Understanding international research methodology
The Native Language Researchers will be able to advise you if the proposed test method is suitable for the market or whether there is room for improvement. In some countries, there are certain rules and principles that are based on their religious sentiments so in order to maintain these things native researchers are essentially required.
International interpretation of research
Thanks to the knowledge of the nuances of the native language, sayings, and sarcasm, the native language researcher can provide an effective interpretation of the results. They also know why culture behaves in a certain way, i.e. It is open, sudden, relaxed, etc., which will help throughout the entire research process - from goals to incentives.
Instant and natural response
Any live online research will suffer without a researcher who can respond fluently. The delay disrupts the participant's natural thinking processes and may distort the test results. The moderator must be able to understand the international participant and react with the speed that a native language researcher can naturally do.
Understanding the requirements
Online surveys that use an international video stream or an interview carry an additional problem with phonetics. A scientist can repeatedly watch a video or stream recordings to fully digest what is said even in the thickest dialect. However, a live video interview requires a moderator who will immediately understand what the native researcher will do again.
Although this speed is not so important for the success of reflective international online research, it is generally beneficial in today's dynamic business world.
Conclusion
Expanding the field of work as either a market research department or agency will always bring new challenges as well as new rewards. Branching out into online international market research is no different. In fact, it brings possibly one of the most sizable insight challenges, that of accurate language understanding. And let me be clear, understanding is not the same as translation. Google can translate. But as with all automation, it cannot empathize to the extent of a human.
There are more native speakers in any given language who know the formal written language well than non-native speakers who know it and more colloquial registers. This level of understanding is important for accurate international insight, but knowledge of market research is the most important and it is not impossible for the other speaker to have the necessary native understanding. The key to success is to ask the person you are considering, for any role in the study of the international market, for the right questions - better to fight for finding a good partner than to provide inaccurate customer insight.
