Multilingual Coding Services

In marketing research, verbatim coding is the assignment of numeric codes to various words, phrases, ideas, or concepts in text, so that the information and meaning in the text can be extracted and analyzed quantitatively. Open-ended questions in surveys generate reams of verbatim text that must be coded and analyzed. CRM systems, customer-feedback systems, customer records, competitive websites, etc., can also provide large amounts of verbatim text to code and analyze.

Coding Process

Coders begin by reading the text to be coded. As they read, they begin to build a codeframe (a list of codes by question). Then all of the open-ended answers to each question are coded. This system enables coders to move quickly through questionnaire text. All answers are carefully coded by a person trained in coding (no automated or computer coding). The results are precise codes that fully reflect the true meanings of the open-ended verbatims.

Types of Coding

Decision Analyst codes all types of open-ended verbatim answers, comments, and text across many different product categories and industries, including:

  • Open-ended verbatims from surveys (paper surveys, online surveys, comment cards, etc.).
  • Open-ended responses in customer-feedback systems.
  • Open-ended answers to phone surveys (CATI, voice, or text).
  • Voice/Video recordings from IVR systems or ethnography studies.
  • Social media text.
  • Photographs, and video files.
 
Multilingual Coding

Decision Analyst provides verbatim coding services for more than 30 different languages. The following languages are coded by Decision Analyst's native language coders:

  • English
  • Arabic
  • Chinese
  • Dutch
  • French
  • German
  • Hindi
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Turkish
 

In addition, Decision Analyst codes more than 20 other languages through partner companies in their respective countries. Coding in the actual language saves time and money so that translation is not needed. If you have an unusual language to code, please check with us. We may have a partner company that can code that language.

Quality Assurance Standards

Decision Analyst adheres to rigorous and consistent quality standards. The level of coding quality is largely determined by the quality of the coders. They must be very smart, intellectually curious, and capable of great attention to detail. Decision Analyst coders are carefully trained for a minimum of six months before independent work is permitted. Decision Analyst coders average more than 15 years of marketing research coding experience.

The work of each coder on a project is carefully checked at multiple points by quality-control specialists within the department and then checked again, independently, by the Quality Assurance Department.

Related Services

Decision Analyst also offers Predictive Analytics, Cross-Tabulation Services, Advanced Statistical Analyses, Spatial Analytics and GeoMapping Services.

Multilingual Coding Services

If you need a cost estimate for a coding project, please contact Lisa Hazen (lhazen@decisionanalyst.com), or call 1-800-ANALYSIS (262-5974) or 1-817-640-6166.