Developing questions that are universally understood by all participants is a major challenge. Jargon and technical terms should be avoided, but one sees them commonly used. What to do? First, know your intended audience, their reading level, and vernacular. Secondly, use an evaluative pilot, where besides asking questions, one can interview about understanding. An example is a truncated cognitive interview. See my research into how to be systematic. Until you pilot, you'll never know, and then you might still need to adjust.

Article Preparation, Development, and Refinement of the Interview Pr...

Don't overestimate the value of literacy. A lot of simole people are able to express their opikions in their own simple language, oral communibation is a powerful tool.

In addition to pilot testing, I recommend starting the interview with a simple, straightforward question that allows the participant to talk about their experiences with regard to the research question. Hearing how they discuss these issues will help you adapt your language to theirs.

I believe that these methods—Community-Based Translators, Pilot Testing with Feedback Loops, Use of Visual Aids and Storytelling, Training for Interviewers & Ethnographic Observation—would be helpful. They not only foster clearer communication but also build trust and cultural resonance with participants. By integrating these approaches, researchers can ensure that voices from rural communities are authentically heard and accurately represented.

Have a look at the work of Goddard and Wierzbicka They studied languages across the globe and found 65 universal concepts they called “semantic primes”. Questions based on semantic primes should be understandable and translatable by all cultures.

All context-specific or culturally specific terms should be written in Roman script (or mentioned in parentheses), along with their possible English translation, which must also be documented.

Example Sentence:

"In Pakistani culture, the concept of purdah (seclusion of women for modesty) plays a significant role in shaping gender relations."

Here, purdah is in Roman script, explained in parentheses, and translated into English for clarity.

You should keep an educated person from the community with you, because during interviews with rural people, if you speak in their way, they will give more honest responses.

When collecting data in this community, the local language should be used or an interpreter should be sought to facilitate communication and follow the questionnaire guide. In cases where the interviewee does not understand, the question should be repeated more than once, ensuring that the response does not deviate

Eliseu Equele In qualitative research, we often refer to the questions as a "guide" rather than a "questionnaire."This is to distinguish semi-structured interviews from survey research. While surveys may require responses to the exact wording of a question, qualitative interview guides allow for more flexibility in rewording questions as needed.

Haji Karim Khan

A researcher can ensure language accuracy by using local interpreters or facilitators who are trusted by the community, employing simple oral communication instead of technical terms, and validating responses through repetition or paraphrasing to confirm shared understanding.