How Psychometric Test Translation Improves International Recruiting

Companies large and small use psychometric testing to improve the quality of their recruitment, often using uniquely customized assessments.

As these companies expand internationally, their demand for an international labor force increases. This is where psychometric test translation comes into play.

Such specific testing needs high quality translation by an experienced language services provider to ensure accurate selection of candidates that will be a good fit for the various positions being recruited.

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What is Psychometric Testing?

Psychometric testing is utilized to measure a variety of personality traits, skills, intelligence, and aptitudes.

Companies often administer psychometric tests to improve recruitment of candidates with preferred characteristics, but other organizations like schools, universities, and corporations also use them to measure behavior, performance, cognitive processes, and mental ability.

Cultural Context in Translation

To hire the best candidates for international expansion your company needs your psychometric tests translated accurately – and with cultural context in mind.

During translation, every item on the assessment must be analyzed from the perspective of a native applicant in your target market.

Test items that include idioms, colloquialisms, or specific technical vocabulary are imperative to translate both accurately, and according to cultural context. Only trained language professionals who are native to the region in which the target language is spoken are qualified to translate these items; they will be sure to allow for accurate cultural context.

Partnering with a language services provider (LSP) that has vast successful experience with assessment translation is a best practice for psychometric test translation. Qualified LSPs will have the language resources and technical abilities necessary to deliver high-quality translation.

Here are some traits to look for during your search for the right language services partner:

• Utilize uniquely qualified language professionals.
  Established LSPs will have a system in place for measuring a language professional’s qualifications, and only utilize those resources who produce the best work. They will also ONLY use translators that are native to the region where the target language is spoken, allowing for more accurate cultural context.
• Customized processes unique to project:
  Every translation project is unique in its goals and specifications. An experienced LSP will set up a conference call or face-to-face meeting with your organization. Together, both organizations can then discuss the variety of attributes that contribute to creating an efficient, customized translation process that is very specific to you and your needs.
• Flexibility & adaptability:
  These two traits are imperative, especially with large translation projects. It is rare for projects to go EXACTLY as planned, even with the most careful planning and execution. The right LSP will be skilled in adapting to new variables that arise during the project and be expert at problem solving.
• ISO certified:
  The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develops and publishes standards for almost every industry across the globe, and hundreds of companies (including Fortune 500 companies) are ISO certified. Maintaining the certification requires focus on continuous quality improvement of all processes.