BISAS: A Milestone for Multilingual Survey Research

We are thrilled to announce that funding has officially been secured for the Bank for International Survey Answer Scales (BISAS), a groundbreaking initiative born from a collaborative effort between GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences in Germany and cApStAn Linguistic Quality Control. This achievement is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the dedicated efforts of GESIS. The project, led by GESIS, is set to commence in February 2026.

BISAS aims to establish a free-access, open-source repository of multilingual answer scales commonly used in surveys. These include frequently recurring formats such as agreement, importance, satisfaction, and likelihood scales. The repository will house these scales in their original languages alongside vetted translations in a wide array of languages, making them accessible and replicable across disciplines and studies.

Why BISAS Matters

In multilingual and multicultural survey contexts, the translation and adaptation of answer scales are critical to ensuring data comparability and validity. Despite growing awareness and technological advances, inconsistencies in translation practices persist. Widely used scales are often translated differently, sometimes without documentation or quality assurance, leading to potential measurement errors and reduced comparability.

BISAS addresses this challenge head-on by offering a centralized, high-quality resource for researchers, survey designers, and institutions worldwide. The repository will not only provide translations but also include meta-information on the measurement properties of each source and translated scales such as whether it is bipolar or unipolar, including modifiers, or uses extreme endpoints. This added layer of detail will empower researchers to make informed decisions when selecting or analyzing answer scales.

GESIS and the ScaleRep Vision

GESIS is spearheading the development of ScaleRep, a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) repository. ScaleRep will be modular, dynamic, and user-friendly, designed to evolve with the needs of the research community. It will include only high-quality scales and translations, the latter adhering to comparability and measurement needs and current wisdom on answer scale translations.

cApStAn’s Role as Major Data Donor

cApStAn Linguistic Quality Control, a recognized leader in cross-cultural and cross-national survey translation, will serve as the major data donor to BISAS. With decades of experience and involvement in key international studies, cApStAn brings unparalleled linguistic expertise to the project. While their existing data does not include meta-information on measurement properties, BISAS will enrich these resources with such details, enhancing their value for researchers.

This collaboration exemplifies the power of interdisciplinary and international partnerships in advancing the field of survey methodology. It also highlights cApStAn’s ongoing commitment to improving translation quality and promoting transparency in multilingual research.

The initiative was born at the ESRA conference 2023, and initial visions by Steve Dept (cApStAn), Prof. Beatrice Rammstedt (GESIS), Prof. Jon Krosnick (Standford University) and Dr. Yongwei Yang (Google) and followed up further and put into life by GESIS (Dr. Dorothée Behr, Oliver Hopt, and Prof. Beatrice Rammstedt) and cApStAn (Musab Hayatli and Steve Dept).

The successful securing of funding is a major milestone, but it is only the beginning. The BISAS team invites researchers, institutions, and stakeholders across disciplines to join this effort. Together, we can build a resource that enhances the quality, transparency, and comparability of multilingual survey research worldwide.

We extend our deepest gratitude to DFG for their generous support, and to GESIS for their leadership and vision, and to all those whose support encouraged us to work towards bringing BISAS to life. This initiative represents a significant step forward in the pursuit of excellence in international survey methodology.

Stay tuned for updates as BISAS moves from vision to reality.