How to use this guide
Use the recommendations below to prepare a clearer brief, compare quotations on the same basis and identify decisions that should be resolved before production begins.
This guide provides general project-planning information. Requirements imposed by a court, embassy, regulator, receiving institution, venue or technology platform should always be confirmed directly with that authority.
Start with participant language
Administrative location does not always reveal what participants prefer to speak or read.
Decision to record: How does this point apply to your audience, language pair, final use and approval process?
Translate the concept
Research constructs may need explanation, reconciliation and testing.
Decision to record: How does this point apply to your audience, language pair, final use and approval process?
Brief roles separately
Facilitation, data collection and interpretation carry different responsibilities.
Decision to record: How does this point apply to your audience, language pair, final use and approval process?
Control files
Language, speaker, location and version metadata make evidence traceable.
Decision to record: How does this point apply to your audience, language pair, final use and approval process?
When professional support becomes important
Seek a properly briefed language professional when the communication affects rights, safety, consent, money, institutional acceptance, research validity or a large public audience. Urgency does not remove the need to confirm language variety, intended use and review responsibility.