Lost in translation
People answer questionnaires differently depending on the language in which they anser it. Typically, answers are more bland in foreign languages. Some meaning is lost in translation, because the heart is more closely connected with a mother tongue.
This is why creating good translations of questionnaires can be important in cross-cultural reasearch. Voluntary translations of the VSM, the ‘ Values Survey Module’ for conducting cross-cultural studies using Hofstede’s dimension, keeps being translated into more languages.
Verica Spaseva from Skopje contributed an unofficial Madedonian translation of the VSM 2013. That is the 22nd language in which the VSM has become available.