Crisis Translation Maturity Model – CTMM

Crisis Translation Maturity Model - CTMM

The aim of this survey is to help you assess the overall maturity of your organisation’s capacity to engage in multilingual crisis communication. It will ask you to consider 17 dimensions around crisis communication and pick an evaluative descriptor that best matches your organisation’s current capacity. Once you have provided an answer for each dimension, you will be able to click on to a subsequent screen to view your overall results.

For a more detailed explanation of the Crisis Translation Maturity Model (CTMM), and a comprehensive breakdown of each category and level, we strongly recommend visiting the VoicePath Crisis Translation Toolkit.
By sending the survey, you confirm your consent to take part in this research project. To access the consent form and a full project description, please click on this link (it is not necessary to sign or return the consent form).

Needs Analysis^*

How effectively does your organisation analyse its beneficiaries' communicative needs?

Needs Analysis^*

How effectively does your organisation analyse its beneficiaries' communicative needs?

Preliminary analysis of communication required, languages, modes, and platforms; focus on response.

Fundamental and emerging needs are addressed and prepared for; from reactive to proactive.

Analysis systematized to identify regular needs, reduce redundancy, and manage resources through regular feedback.

Key performance indicators analyzed to respond and prepare for future needs.

Needs beyond immediate crisis settings can be approached and anticipated; focus on preparedness.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Cultural and Political Context^*

How well does your organization evaluate cultural and political sensitivities in its communication strategies?

Cultural and Political Context^*

How well does your organization evaluate cultural and political sensitivities in its communication strategies?

Awareness of cultural and political context that determines how crisis information is received.

Awareness of potential for cultural and political factors to shift and change as crisis develops.

Feedback leveraged to recognize cultural specificity of local context, relationships, and collaborations; interlocked with trust building.

Representation among organizational members and collaborators reflects cultural and political context.

Cross-cultural engagement, including outside immediate crisis, and diversity of representation continuously improved.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Communicative Context^*

How well does your organization evaluate multidimensional contexts affecting communication with diverse groups?

Communicative Context^*

How well does your organization evaluate multidimensional contexts affecting communication with diverse groups?

Awareness of broader communicative context and its impact on crisis translation efforts.

Channels established to engage in clear, simple, contextually appropriate and effective communication.

Information, communication protocols, channels, and formats formalized; awareness of plans for contextually effective dissemination raised.

Contextually appropriate communication and translation style guidelines established; translation quality measured against them.

Understanding of communicative context, including outside immediate crisis, continuously improved; focus on preparedness.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Ethics^*

How rigorously does your organization review and adhere to ethical standards in its communication strategies?

Ethics^*

How rigorously does your organization review and adhere to ethical standards in its communication strategies?

Preliminary discussion of ethical implications of decisions.

Specific measures related to decision-making, communicative efforts, and staff safety and well-being implemented.

Guidelines on when to use translators and interpreters shared; ethics of quality, privacy, and confidentiality systematically addressed.

Diversity of organizational members and collaborators measured; stakeholder provision of feedback on organizational performance compensated.

Focus on transparency and accountability to stakeholders, including outside immediate crisis.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Legislative Frameworks^*

How thoroughly does your organization evaluate its compliance with legislative frameworks (including international human rights standards) affecting communication and translation?

Legislative Frameworks^*

How thoroughly does your organization evaluate its compliance with legislative frameworks (including international human rights standards) affecting communication and translation?

Basic measures on data protection taken; broader principles of law begin to inform and regulate efforts.

Clear guidelines on all relevant legislation established.

Measures to influence relevant policy-making and legislation taken.

National and international campaigns made to measure performance with respect to relevant legislative communication with stakeholders to ensure they know their rights and relevant rights-based legislation.

Sustained commitment to meeting national and international legislative obligations and protecting staff well-being; advocate for improved legislation and regulations in both the national and international arenas.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Information and Digital Literacy^*

How well does your organization evaluate the varying levels of ability of those impacted in a crisis to read, write, or understand crisis communication and to send, evaluate or communicate using different media?

Information and Digital Literacy^*

Awareness of different levels of literacy among targeted recipients.

Fundamental and emerging literacy needs are addressed and prepared for; focus on clear, plain, contextually effective communication.

More sophisticated, multimodal approaches to engage with literacy levels identified and applied.

Knowledge of literacies used to establish communication and translation style guidelines.

Understanding of literacies, including outside immediate crisis, continuously improved.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Organisational Responsibility^*

How effectively does your organization recognize its responsibility to endorse and support crisis translation services and embed such services into its organizational structure?

Organisational Responsibility^*

How effectively does your organization recognize its responsibility to endorse and support crisis translation services and embed such services into its organizational structure?

Need for key internal stakeholders responsible for crisis translation considered.

Process reviews used to consolidate key organizational roles, job descriptions, and stakeholder collaborations.

Language support embedded in organization’s communication strategies and key practices and protocols; relevant budgetary needs understood and advocated for.

Crisis translation performance linked to broader organizational key performance indicators.

Increasingly advanced qualitative and quantitative indicators set, regularly evaluated, and appropriately resourced.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Complexity of Translation^*

To what degree does your organisation understand the multifaceted aspects of translation complexities in its communication strategies?

Complexity of Translation^*

To what degree does your organisation understand the multifaceted aspects of translation complexities in its communication strategies?

Awareness that translation is more than simple word matching done by bilinguals or machine translation.

Standard operating procedures that encode complexity of translation implemented and reviewed periodically.

Staff training on appropriate use of translation technologies and resources considered.

Complexity of translation acknowledged in measurement of organisational performance.

Consolidated crisis translation project management system run to professional standards employed.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Policy^*

How well does your organisation integrate translation policies into its broader communication and organisational policies?

Policy^*

How well does your organisation integrate translation policies into its broader communication and organisational policies?

Preliminary crisis translation policy developed but not yet in writing.

Crisis translation policy encoded and placed within broader organisational policies on communication.

Crisis translation policy known and understood by internal and external stakeholders.

Crisis translation policy and roles reviewed based on organisational performance and comparisons.

Crisis translation policy regularly and consistently evaluated and reviewed; helps shape organisation’s higher-level policy direction.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Resource Databases^*

How effectively does your organisation maintain and utilise resource databases to support translation and communication efforts?

Resource Databases^*

How effectively does your organisation maintain and utilise resource databases to support translation and communication efforts?

Database of resources required for crisis translation begins to be compiled.

FAQ for users of organisational databases established.

Databases managed, updated, and deployed by internal stakeholder responsible for crisis translation policy, staff training in use and maintenance of databases provided.

Databases used as a data source for organisational performance evaluation.

Databases integrated into a consolidated crisis translation project management system run to professional standards.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Budget^*

How effectively does your organisation allocate financial resources specially dedicated to translation and communication needs?

Budget^*

How effectively does your organisation allocate financial resources specially dedicated to translation and communication needs?

Preliminary budgets for crisis translation and its promotion established, even if this means reallocating funds from non-crisis operating budgets.

Budgets expanded to address training, resource and relationship building, and staff safety and well-being.

Regular budget allocations for a standardised protocol to deploy crisis translation, train personnel, support their well-being, and fund a person who is responsible for crisis translation and its quality assurance.

Budget allocations for training on effective performance measurement and stakeholder feedback incentivisation.

Budgets refined and made more transparent; budget allocations for crisis translation project management system and internal and external advocacy work.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Feedback Mechanisms^*

How systematically does your organisation collect and utilize feedback regarding the effectiveness of its translation and communication initiatives?

Feedback Mechanisms^*

How systematically does your organisation collect and utilize feedback regarding the effectiveness of its translation and communication initiatives?

Initial processes for two-way communication with recipients of crisis translation established.

Processes expanded beyond recipients to include staff and stakeholder debriefing.

Recipient, staff, and stakeholder feedback appropriately incentivised and included in periodic organisational performance reviews.

Feedback responded to effectively and efficiently and leads to policy review.

Positive and open feedback loops in place from all levels of the organisation and its external counterparts.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Technology that Supports Translation^*

How does your organisation utilize technology to support and enhance translation efforts?

Technology that Supports Translation^*

How does your organisation utilize technology to support and enhance translation efforts?

Awareness of how technologies that support translation could be utilised.

Use of translation technologies standardised and resources developed; possible deployment of translation technology internally to facilitate organisational operations.

Translation technologies embedded in organisational practices; stricter quality controls employed; staff informed and trained on best use of translation technologies.

Performance of technologies measured; focus on technological opportunities but also risks.

Technologies integrated into consolidated crisis translation project management system.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Quality^*

How does your organisation assess and maintain the quality of translated content delivered to stakeholders?

Quality^*

How does your organisation assess and maintain the quality of translated content delivered to stakeholders?

Awareness of need for high-quality translation products, processes, and policies but no concrete measures in place to assure this.

Processes, tools, and policies that facilitate higher quality crisis translation established.

Crisis translation quality begins to be assured by the organisation.

Adoption of flexible and contextually appropriate concept of quality and measurement using established communication and translation style guidelines.

Quality assured. Organisational evaluations, well-funded staff training, and a comprehensive and technologically integrated project management system.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Risk Assessment^*

How systematically does your organisation identify potential risks associated with translation and communication endeavours?

Risk Assessment^*

How systematically does your organisation identify potential risks associated with translation and communication endeavours?

Category not considered at this level.

Imminent risk to crisis translation success identified and mitigated where possible.

Broader and more systematic consideration of risk to include quality, ethics, and operations; mitigation through policy and practice considered.

Risks afforded by technological developments monitored.

Longer-term risks to staff safety and well-being mitigated.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Training^*

How effectively does your organisation identify and address training needs related to translation and communication skills?

Training^*

How effectively does your organisation identify and address training needs related to translation and communication skills?

Category not considered at this level.

Staff training implemented as organisation attempts to clarify its crisis translation roles and relationships, use more sophisticated resources, and meet its legal and ethical obligations.

Specialised training on how to work with translators and interpreters, use technologies and recognise the complexity of translation implemented.

Training on how to measure translation and communication performance effectively implemented; training offering adapted as needs evolve.

Training on ethics, feedback implementation, and project management systems implemented; commitment to continuous improvement of training.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Trust Building and Management^*

How diligently does your organisation focus on building trust through transparent and accurate translation practices?

Trust Building and Management^*

How diligently does your organisation focus on building trust through transparent and accurate translation practices?

Category not considered at this level.

Relationships of trust with key stakeholders built.

Relationships of trust with key stakeholders built and managed over longer term.

Focus on contextually appropriate representation among organisational members and collaborators to deepen trusted connections with communities.

Focus on budgetary transparency, cross-cultural engagement, and internal and external advocacy to increase trust.

Not applicable.

Clear selection

Please feel free to describe your gender, race, ethnicity and any other diversity aspects in your own words. We value and respect the diversity of all identities and experiences. (Note: This question is intended to affirm and recognise the diverse backgrounds of our respondents).^*

Clear selection

Kindly provide an overview of your organization, omitting its name, but mentioning the specific country where it's based (e.g., NGO focused on migrants, Ireland).

Clear selection

By WordPress Survey plugin

Needs Analysis*

Needs Analysis*

Cultural and Political Context*

Cultural and Political Context*

Communicative Context*

Communicative Context*

Ethics*

Ethics*

Legislative Frameworks*

Legislative Frameworks*

Information and Digital Literacy*

Information and Digital Literacy*

Organisational Responsibility*

Organisational Responsibility*

Complexity of Translation*

Complexity of Translation*

Policy*

Policy*

Resource Databases*

Resource Databases*

Budget*

Budget*

Feedback Mechanisms*

Feedback Mechanisms*

Technology that Supports Translation*

Technology that Supports Translation*

Quality*

Quality*

Risk Assessment*

Risk Assessment*

Training*

Training*

Trust Building and Management*

Trust Building and Management*

Needs Analysis^*

Needs Analysis^*

Cultural and Political Context^*

Cultural and Political Context^*

Communicative Context^*

Communicative Context^*

Ethics^*

Ethics^*

Legislative Frameworks^*

Legislative Frameworks^*

Information and Digital Literacy^*

Information and Digital Literacy^*

Organisational Responsibility^*

Organisational Responsibility^*

Complexity of Translation^*

Complexity of Translation^*

Policy^*

Policy^*

Resource Databases^*

Resource Databases^*

Budget^*

Budget^*

Feedback Mechanisms^*

Feedback Mechanisms^*

Technology that Supports Translation^*

Technology that Supports Translation^*

Quality^*

Quality^*

Risk Assessment^*

Risk Assessment^*

Training^*

Training^*

Trust Building and Management^*

Trust Building and Management^*