Postcards from the Edge of Global Research — Interpreting the Arab World, Part 3

In this third and final part of our interview, specialist interpreter Dima Anbari talks to us about how she came to found Tanweer MENA and what her hopes are for the future in the Middle East.

For central location studies in the Middle East, how can observers in the viewing room get the most out of a session?

What’s best is to invite respondents to a viewing facility where you can directly see through the glass and have a concealed camera and mic, so the respondents don’t feel intimidated. Even though we do inform them about all the viewing and recording, they quickly forget when it’s not visible and get engaged in a discussion.

One challenge you face is when you have a client insisting to get video recording of females when the female respondents refuse to be recorded. The female respondents have the right to accept or refuse and not be lied to, which some companies do. They say it is live transmission, whereas it’s live recording. That’s not the same. Not all female respondents refuse to get recorded, but the decision is up to them. Moreover, not inviting those who refuse recording would make the client miss out on interesting insights from a large segment. So being in a viewing facility is the best solution. Respondents know they’re being watched through the glass, but have the option of not being video recorded.

Have you experienced any interesting accidents/mishaps while working with foreigners doing research in the UAE?

Oh, plenty! But that’s what adds to the excitement of research.

Talk to us a little about Tanweer MENA, your newest venture.

I came to start Tanweer MENA because of the lack of professionalism I was seeing in the market. Although nothing can be perfect in an industry that is dependent on purely human reactions, there are many flaws. Competition is leading to a lot of cheating in order to be able to drop the rates. There are many unethical things that happen and a lot of times when recruiting is an issue, the client is perplexed by the responses. Other times, the clients who do research on a regular basis tend to be too doubtful. I thought of getting a balance. It’s going really well and we’re focused on quality services and the ability to fully grasp the client objectives so they get the best out of their research.

I also moderate, do analysis, and work on toplines. That really adds value to my clients when they find an interpreter who is well informed about the culture and the region. A lot of times, I’m a respondent before the real respondents show up! The clients find it interesting when they get briefed themselves.

People around the world are fascinated by recent events in the Middle East and Africa (e.g., what here people are calling the “Arab Spring” and now the “Arab Summer”). Are you seeing this playing out in any way in the research that’s being conducted in Dubai and elsewhere in the Arab world?

It is interesting to know about Arab Spring and Arab Summer. Actually, our research topics don’t touch upon anything political and we don’t open up the path for these discussions as our sessions get recorded and sent to clients, so everyone plays safe here.

Once we were doing research about a high-tech product and the moderator suddenly asked the respondent what he thought of what’s happening in the region, so the client pulled out the moderator and asked him not to even get into such topics. I think research slowed down for a while when the events in Egypt happened, but things are getting back on track now. I think research in this region is more about products and services and rarely is it political. I only remember doing one project of the sort and was not comfortable working on it, to be honest.

What are your hopes for the Middle East in the next few years? As a working woman and entrepreneur, but also as someone who observes many Arabic cultural traditions, where would you personally like to see things evolve?

My hope is to have stability in the region, just like everyone else living out here. As for my business, I’d love to watch it grow quickly enough so I could move around with my family and discover the environments of the different Arab nationalities that we always host in our groups. I would like to let my kids have that exposure. It’s the open-mindedness of my parents that made me who I am today and would love for my kids the same.

Thank you, Dima. I truly enjoyed our conversation. I wish you the best and will be sending good thoughts your way.

This concludes “Postcards from the Edge of Global Research – Interpreting the Arab World.” Be sure to join us for our next installment — wherever in the world we are here at Sylver Consulting!

Click here to view Part 1 of this series.

Click here to view Part 2 of this series.

Categories: Cross Cultural Research, Ethnographic research, Global Expansion Research, Market research