Running a comprehensive survey – process, challenges, criticism and lessons learnt

Alina Cincan, London, UK

At the beginning of 2020, when I decided to run a survey for translators, little did I know that it would turn into a massive piece of research. I knew at that point that I wanted to create a comprehensive survey that would touch on various aspects of a freelance translator’s life, focusing on those that translators (including myself) are most interested in and that are usually overlooked. More than 1,500 translators worldwide responded. Nine months and 18,000 words later, the report was published.

The presentation will focus on how the Freelance Translator Survey was carried out, starting from the research and brainstorming phases to design, pilot, distribution, finding respondents, analysis and presentation of the results. I will go through each stage offering insights into the process, including what went well and what could be improved, as well as timescales and the tools I used.

This presentation will be useful to anyone interested in data and statistics obtained via online surveys, as well as to those working with surveys as reviewers or translators.
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About the presenter

Alina Cincan is a translator with more than 15 years’ experience, a Chartered Linguist, a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists and a member of Mediterranean Editors and Translators. Her articles have been published in translation journals and magazines in several countries. She speaks six languages with various degrees of fluency.