Tsai Tuan-I, Luck Lauretta, Jefferies Diana, Wilkes Lesley
Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Nurse Res. 2018 Jun 7;26(1):28-32. doi: 10.7748/nr.2018.e1581. Epub 2018 Jun 1.
The increase in the number of international research studies means more surveys need to be adapted for use in different languages. To obtain valid cross-cultural study results, researchers often use translated surveys.
To describe the translation process used, and lessons learned by a bilingual English/Mandarin PhD student and her three English-speaking supervisors when developing and translating an English-language survey for use in a study in Taiwan.
In evaluating the translation process in this study, the three criteria of content equivalence, semantic equivalence and conceptual equivalence are discussed in relation to the challenges these presented to the research team. Some of the ways the team addressed these challenges are also considered.
The time available for the research and the ability of translators need to be assessed when adapting surveys for use in different languages and cultures. Sharing experiences and lessons learned in the translation process was worthwhile, as all members of the research team came away with new knowledge and an understanding of the need to ensure the final version of a translated survey is culturally congruent.
To accurately translate a survey into another language, it is essential that one of the researchers be fluent in that language. This guarantees the closest fit of content and semantic and conceptual meaning.
国际研究数量的增加意味着需要更多地调整调查问卷以适用于不同语言。为了获得有效的跨文化研究结果，研究人员经常使用翻译后的调查问卷。
描述一名精通英语和普通话的博士生及其三位说英语的导师在为台湾一项研究开发和翻译一份英语调查问卷时所采用的翻译过程以及所吸取的经验教训。
在评估本研究中的翻译过程时，针对内容对等、语义对等和概念对等这三个标准，探讨了它们给研究团队带来的挑战。还考虑了团队应对这些挑战的一些方法。
在调整调查问卷以适用于不同语言和文化时，需要评估研究可用的时间以及翻译人员的能力。分享翻译过程中的经验和教训是值得的，因为研究团队的所有成员都获得了新知识，并认识到确保翻译后调查问卷的最终版本在文化上具有一致性的必要性。
要将调查问卷准确翻译成另一种语言，研究人员之一必须精通该语言。这可确保内容、语义和概念意义的最紧密匹配。
