| Learning Objective #1: Describe the steps of the multistage structured translation validation procedure | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Discuss one implication of the multistage structured translation validation procedure for her or his work in cross-cultural instrument development |
Objective: Flaws in translation in instruments threaten the validity of the results in cross-cultural research. A rigorous evaluation process is desirable. Data from a pilot study will be presented to discuss usage of a multistage structured translation validation procedure for cross-cultural instrument development.
Design: A descriptive survey design was used.
Sample, Setting, Years: Twenty immigrants were recruited in 1999 from the northwest region of the USA. They emigrated from Taiwan (n=9) and China (n=11) in 1995-1998. Thirteen of them were male. Their mean age was 14.4 years (SD=2.1). Concepts: The Birleson Depression Scale and the Behavior Rating Index for Children, developed in American English, were used to assess depression and the degree of a youngster's behavioral problems, respectively.
Methods: Five steps were involved. The investigator translated the instruments to Chinese. Following that, six Chinese with 6-16 years of formal Chinese education evaluated the Chinese version for linguistic appropriateness. After the revision was made, two bilingual, bicultural assistants independently translated the Chinese version to English, followed by a structured validation. Three American English native speakers rated comparability of language and similarity of interpretation between the original and back translated pairs on a 7-point Likert scale (1=extremely, 7=not at all). Pairs of items with mean scores equal/greater than 4 or those with mean scores less than 4 but having SD greater than 2 were items for revision. Raters' qualitative comments were also considered in the revision process.
Findings: Forty-one pairs of items met selection criteria for revision. However, raters' comments suggested the scores mostly reflected the subtle cultural and linguistic differences related to verb tense, modifiers, singular and plural forms, and expression of feelings.
Conclusion/Implication: The tested translation validation procedure showed high values in fine-tuning translation. The next step would be to continue to evaluate the process to determine its usefulness.
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Back to 14th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
10-12 July 2003