This project handles the translation-related procedures utilized in the multi-disciplinary and cross-national Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). In particular, the project deals with the questionnaire development, the translation phase, and the national computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) building. SHARE utilizes an online translation management tool (TMT) that in a latter phase is used to create the national CAPI. In a first phase, the questionnaire is developed, which is coordinated internationally. An item glossary with background information for the translators and with interviewer instructions is generated. In a second phase (i.e., the translation process), SHARE differentiates between items of previous waves, that only get revised, and new items, that follow the TRAPD (translation, review, adjudication, pretesting, and documentation) translation method (Harkness 2003). In the TRAPD, two independent translators, who belong to the country teams, produce a first draft. A second draft is developed based on the feedback of experts. A reviewer (i.e., the country team operator) then advances the optimal version, and an adjudicator (i.e., the country team leader) takes the final decision. The process is documented with the TMT.
Once the translation process has been finalised, the national CAPI is built on the basis of the TMT. Then the country teams test their national CAPI extensively. Once all the errors are corrected, the national CAPI is ready to go on-field. Two test-runs, named “pre-test” and “field-rehearsal”, provide additional feedback to the quality of the translation. Country teams have a debriefing session after each test run with their national Survey Agency.
