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Warsaw 2009: Presentations and short courses

Translation Problems in International Surveys: On the Difficulties of Translating a Western Language Master Questionnaire into Asian Languages

Session: European Values Study (II)

Author:

Kazufumi Manabe; Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan

Abstract:

I have been involved in comparative and collaborative data analyses of the ISSP Religious Module, the EVS and the WVS. The results have shown that while religiosity is strongly associated with people’s beliefs, attitudes and values in Western countries, that tendency is not evident in Japan. The results, I have hypothesized, are based on Western religious concepts and views, and the Westernised translation problems of such question items as religious faith, denomination and participation. To inquire into these translation problems in international surveys, I have done comparative surveys on religiosity and social values in Germany and Japan from an independent methodological standpoint. In this presentation, I will discuss the difficulties of translating a Western Language Master Questionnaire into Asian Languages.

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