Summary: A Render translation team can conduct multiple rounds of Community Testing on the same section by configuring multiple Community Test Stages in the workflow. Testing can flow swiftly from one round to the next with revision happening at the end. However, it is possible to revise the translation after any round if needed.
Purpose
It is important to test Bible translations with community members who represent the target audience for the translation. Adequate testing will most often require multiple events that involve different people from that target audience. Render can accommodate this need.
Configuring Multiple Community Tests in the Workflow
Before translation begins, the project team and partner organization determine how many times sections will be tested with the community. This will be effective for every section of the scope.
The Config implements this number of Community Tests by adding one Community Test Stage for each test in the workflow. Each Community Test Stage represents one round of testing.
Retell method is turned on or off per the team’s decision about how to test
Question & Response (Q&R) method is turned on or off per the team's decision about how to test
Every Community Test round consists of the following workflow sub-stages:
Community Setup – This sub-stage only appears if the Question & Response method of testing is turned on. This sub-stage allows the translation team to plant flags and record questions for each passage. The Config should turn guidance off for all Community Setup substages after the first one.
Community Test – The translation team will actually test the translation with some community members who represent the target audience and record their feedback.
Community Revise – The translation team can either skip this step, or they can review the feedback and decide whether to make changes or not. The Config should turn guidance off for all Community Revise sub-stages before the last one.
Standard process for translators
The following steps will happen for every Section in the scope
Step 1: First Community Setup (if Question & Response method is turned on):
For each passage in the section, the team decides where in the passage to place flags and record questions. This is the normal process for this sub-stage.
These flags and questions will be copied into all subsequent rounds of testing as long as the passage has not been revised.
Step 2: Community Test
Based on the chosen method for meeting with community members (going to them or bringing them to the translation location) the translation team meets with the a group of community members.
If Retell method is on: A community member listens to the passage several times and retells it in their own words. The translation team records their retell within Render. This is the normal process for Retell testing.
If Question & Response method is on: The team plays a clip of the draft up to a flag. They then play the questions at the flag and record the community member’s response. This is the normal process for Q&R testing.
Step 3: Skipping Community Revise Until the Final Test is Complete
After each Community Test sub-stage, the team must enter the Community Revise sub-stage. However, to facilitate moving on to the next round of testing, the team can immediately tap/click the proceed/next button. They are not required to process the feedback or to create a new draft.
Only in the final round of testing will they enter the Community Revise sub-stage and process the accumulated feedback from all the rounds of testing. They can then decide if they want to revise the translation or not.
If the translation team discovers a major problem during the testing, they can choose to revise the affected passage before moving on to the next round of testing. PLEASE NOTE: Revising a passage requires the team to rebuild the flags and questions for that passage when they enter the next Community Setup sub-stage.
Step 4: Skipping Additional Community Setup Sub-Stages
After the first Community Setup sub-stage is configured by the translation team, the flags and questions created there will be copied into the next Community Setup sub-stages. But please note the one exception explained above in Step 3c.
To skip the next Community Setup sub-stage the translation team will enter that sub-stage and immediately tap/click the proceed/next button to skip it.
NOTE: Teams can also choose to add or remove flags and questions. These changes will be effective for all tests that follow. This empowers the team to improve the quality of the testing from one round to the next.
Step 5: Conducting Additional Community Tests
The translation team repeats the process outlined in steps 2-4 above for each round of testing.
Step 6: Making Revisions After the Final Test
In the final Community Revise sub-stage, guidance for Community Revise is enabled, and the team reviews all accumulated feedback.
Any necessary changes to the draft are made at this final Community Revise sub-stage rather than during the testing process.
Advantages to this design
✅ Saves Time – Eliminates unnecessary revisions between tests, making the process more efficient.
✅ Ensures Consistency – Keeps the same test structure across multiple rounds.
✅ Allows for improvement of the test quality by empowering the team to edit flags and questions before the next round of testing.
✅ Summary Checklist: Conducting Multiple Community Tests Back-to-Back in Render 3
? Setup (Done Once in Project Configuration by the Config User)
Add multiple Community Test tiles to the workflow.
Choose testing method(s): Retell, Q&R, or both.
(optional) Turn OFF guidance for:
Community Setup (after the first stage),
Community Revise (before the final stage).
?️ First Round Only
Community Setup - Before meeting with community members
For each passage, the translation team decides where to place flags and record questions (for Q&R method).
Community Test
Gather the first group of community members.
Conduct the test and record their feedback
Community Revise
Do not revise yet — just press "Next" to continue.
⚠️ Caveat:
If testing reveals a significant problem with the translation of a passage, that passage can be revised before the next round of testing.
However, this will take time, and the team will also have to recreate the flags and questions for that passage during the next Community Setup sub-stage.
? Repeat for Each Following Round (Until Final Round)
Community Setup
Skip by tapping “Next” — flags and questions already exist.
Community Test
Gather a new test group from the community.
Conduct the test and record their feedback.
Community Revise
Skip by tapping “Next”— do not revise yet.
✅ Final Round Only
Community Revise - After completing the testing with the community
Review all recorded community feedback from every round.
Discuss and decide what needs to be changed.
If needed, re-record (revise) the passage(s) with improvements.