Ipsos

Ipsos is one of the world's largest market research and public-opinion firms, operating in 90+ countries. It runs large-scale, in-country research programmes for governments, international organisations, and corporate clients across consumer, social, and policy sectors.

Ipsos Malaysia ran a nationwide face-to-face survey across East and West Malaysia and needed interpreters to support its field teams in eight languages. Maven provided and coordinated all 25 interpreters, briefed them ahead of fieldwork and deployed them on survey weekends across the country over three months.

25 interpreters | 8 languages | 6 regions | 8 fieldwork weekends | 60 interpreter field days

Fieldwork ran in six regions at once. Interpreters were grouped into three cohorts that switched regions from one weekend to the next, so 25 interpreters had to be in the right place at the right time throughout the project. Languages were mobilised in pairs over the weekends, so each language group had to be briefed, rostered and released on its own timeline. The number of interpreters needed in each region changed every weekend, with the heaviest demand in the central region. Most assignments needed flights and accommodation, with interpreters travelling in the day before and returning once the work was done.

Maven built a weekend-by-weekend roster that matched each cohort to Ipsos's regional schedule and respondent targets, adjusting it every week as headcount needs changed. A single Maven project manager handled interpreter briefing, rostering, flights and accommodation, so Ipsos's field managers dealt with one person, not 25. All eight language groups were covered in all six regions across the eight fieldwork weekends, with no service gaps. In total that was 60 interpreter field days. Ipsos's enumerator teams had an interpreter wherever a respondent needed one, from the Klang Valley to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.