In the spotlight: On the road! in eight languages
The Netherlands wants to help people on benefits on their way to work or education, and this requires a good understanding of their starting position. On the road! is a modular online assessment that can provide that insight.
The assessment looks at all important information about the candidate such as:
• Strengths and development points
• possible obstacles
• Chances of finding work
• possible distance to the labour market
• desired support
Because not all candidates are Dutch-speaking, Op weg! is now available in eight languages. In addition to Dutch and English, these are Arabic, Farsi, Tigrinya, Ukrainian and Russian. And a Turkish version is being worked on. Indra Newton, project leader at NOA, explains how such a translation is made. "It seems easy but is a big project every time."
To create a new version, all existing texts are first collected, so not only the questions but also instructions, possible answers and report texts. "These can change in the meantime because sometimes practical experiences lead to improvements in the instrument," says Indra. "The most recent version can always be found online, which is why we only use texts that come from NOA-online. We do this partly manually but also partly with scripts. Some questions are so extensive that it is more convenient to collect the information with a script. This applies, for example, to questions about the education that someone has followed. These were completed per country based on the specific educational situation in that country. Often the answer to a question determines what the next question should be and which answer options belong to it. So you work with a huge decision tree in which all parts have to be translated correctly in order to receive the right information later."
When all the texts have been collected, it is up to the translators. They work in the official national language and not in dialects. And they work in a duo. One starts with the translation after which the other checks and makes any improvements. After that, the next phase will start for NOA, namely the installation of the translation in NOA-online. Again, this is done partly manually and partly with the help of scripts.
When the installation is complete, the instrument is extensively tested in NOA-online. This is done by NOA reviewers who check whether all texts have really been translated. Indra: "On the road! is so extensive that we sometimes overlook small things, such as translating an instruction button. In that case, we have to go back to the translator. And then, when everything has been tested, we invite a native speaker for a trial at NOA, in which the test is made and the corresponding report is drawn up. This is done with the support of a support employee who can make small adjustments if necessary. This trial can again lead to feedback to the translation agency asking them to take another look at the translation." After making such final adjustments, the instrument is ready for use.
The choice of languages is sometimes influenced by the geopolitical situation "Last year we launched Op weg! translated into Ukrainian and Russian because there was a great need for that due to the war in Ukraine," says Indra. "And at the request of our customers, we are now working on a Turkish translation. Another major project that we are still in the middle of. But inspiring to be involved because you create something that will do people better in the future. That's great."
More information about when Op weg! in Turkish will follow later.
Information about Op Weg! can be found here.
For more information, please contact Nadia Kaniuk or Edwin van den Akker, 020-5040800 or mail to info@noa-vu.nl.
