Cross-cultural Instrument Translation and Adaptation: Challenges and Strategies

Authors

  • Sutthida Phongphanngam RN, PhD, APN Medicalsurgical Nursing, University of Phayao School of Nursing, Thailand.
  • Helen W. Lach RN, PhD, CNL, FGSA, FAAN, Professor Saint Louis University School of Nursing, Missouri, USA.

Keywords:

Back translation, Cross-cultural, Falls Efficacy Scale, Fear of Falling, Testing, Translation

Abstract

 

                 Over the decades, cross-cultural research has been conducted to increase understanding of health and illness phenomena across different cultures and populations. However, researchers are faced with issues of translation from the source language to the target language, even with instruments developed for use in cross-cultural research. Therefore, the process of translation is a crucial one in order to maintain the conceptual, content, semantic, and construct equivalences across the two languages and cultures which is essential for credibility of the measurement results. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International. It was translated into Thai using ten steps, including translation and back-translation as well as checking with experts and the target audience to assure cultural equivalence. Challenges with some wordings and cultural differences in daily life were identified and addressed with strategies to manage them so that an appropriate version of the tool was developed and ready for future research with community-dwelling Thai older adults.

References

1. Jones E. Translation of quantitative measures for use in cross-cultural research. Nurs Res. 1987;36(5):324-7.

2. Waltz CF, Strickland OL, &, Lenz ER. Measurement in nursing and health research. 5th ed. New York: Springer; 2016.

3. Willgerodt MA, Kataoka-Yahiro M, Kim E, Ceria C. Issues of instrument translation in research on Asian immigrant populations. J Prof Nurs. 2005;21(4):231-9.

4. Brislin RW. Back-translation for cross-cultural research. J Cross Cult Psychol. 1970;1(3):185-216.

5. Maneesriwongul W, Dixon JK. Instrument translation process: a methods review. J Adv Nurs. 2004;48(2):175-86.

6. Wang WL, Lee HL, Fetzer SJ. Challenges and strategies of instrument translation. West J Nurs Res. 2006;28(3): 310-21.

7. Hoben M, Mahler C, Bar M, Berger S, Squires JE, Estabrooks CA, et al. German translation of the Alberta Context Tool and two measures of research use: methods, challenges and lessons learned. BMC Health Serv Res. 2013;13:478.

8. Khalaila R. Translation of questionnaires into Arabic in cross-cultural research: techniques and equivalence issues. J Transcult Nurs. 2013;24(4):363-70.

9. Ljungberg AK, Fossum B, Furst CJ, Hagelin CL. Translation and cultural adaptation of research instruments - guidelines and challenges: an example in FAMCARE-2 for use in Sweden. Informatics for health & social care. 2015;40(1):67-78.

10. Sousa VD, Rojjanasrirat W. Translation, adaptation and validation of instruments or scales for use in cross-cultural health care research: a clear and user-friendly guideline. J Eval Clin Pract. 2011;17(2):268-74.

11. Sperber AD. Translation and validation of study instruments for cross-cultural research. Gastroenterology. 2004;126 (1 Suppl 1):S124-8.

12. Wong-Anuchit C, Mills AC, Schneider JK, Rujkorakarn D, Kerdpongbunchote C, Panyayong B. Internalized stigma of mental illness scale - Thai version: translation and assessment of psychometric properties among psychiatric outpatients in central Thailand. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2016;30(4):450-6.

13. Chan DNS, So WKW. Translation and validation of translation in cross-cultural research: Strategies used in a study of cervical cancer screening among ethnic minorities. Int J Nurs Pract. 2017;23(6).

14. Jones E, Kay M. Instrumentation in cross-cultural research. Nurs Res. 1992;41(3):186-8.

15. Brislin RW. The wording and translation of research instruments. In: (Eds.) WLLJWB, editor. Field methods in cross-cultural research. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications; 1986. p. 137-64.

16. Jones P, Lee J, Phillips L, Zhang X, Jaceldo K. An adaptation of Brislin’s translation model for cross-cultural research. Nurs Res. 2001;50(5):300-4.

17. Cha ES, Kim KH, Erlen JA. Translation of scales in crosscultural research: issues and techniques. J Adv Nurs. 2007;58(4):386-95.

18. Hilton A, Skrutkowski M. Translating instruments into other languages: development and testing processes. Cancer Nurs. 2002;25(1):1-7.

19. Yardley L, Beyer N, Hauer K, Kempen G, Piot-Ziegler C, Todd C. Development and initial validation of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I). Age Ageing. 2005;34(6):614-9.

20. Jefferis BJ, Iliffe S, Kendrick D, Kerse N, Trost S, Lennon LT, et al. How are falls and fear of falling associated with objectively measured physical activity in a cohort of community-dwelling older men? BMC Geriatr. 2014;14 (114):1-9.

21. Lavedan A, Viladrosa M, Jurschik P, Botigue T, Nuin C, Masot O, et al. Fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults: A cause of falls, a consequence, or both? PLoS One. 2018;13(5):e0197792.

22. Denkinger MD, Lukas A, Nikolaus T, Hauer K. Factors associated with fear of falling and associated activity restriction in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2015;23(1):72-86.

23. Tinetti ME, Richman D, Powell L. Falls efficacy as a measure of fear of falling. Journals of Gerontology. 1990;45(6):239-43.

24. Kempen GI, Todd CJ, Van Haastregt JC, Zijlstra GA, Beyer N, Freiberger E, et al. Cross-cultural validation of the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) in older people: results from Germany, the Netherlands and the UK were satisfactory. Disabil Rehabil. 2007;29(2):155-62.

25. Nordell E, Andreasson M, Gall K, Thorngren KG. Evaluating the Swedish version of the Falls Efficacy ScaleInternational (FES-I). Advances in Physiotherapy. 2009;11(2):81-7.

26. Camargos FF, Dias RC, Dias JM, Freire MT. Cross-cultural adaptation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International Among Elderly Brazilians (FES-I-BRAZIL). Rev Bras Fisioter. 2010; 14(3):237-43.

27. Ruggiero C, Mariani T, Gugliotta R, Gasperini B, Patacchini F, Nguyen HN, et al. Validation of the Italian version of the falls efficacy scale international (FES-I) and the short FES-I in community-dwelling older persons. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009;49 Suppl 1:211-9.

28. Billis E, Strimpakos N, Kapreli E, Sakellari V, Skelton DA, Dontas I, et al. Cross-cultural validation of the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) in Greek communitydwelling older adults. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2011;33(19-20):1776-84.

29. Lomas-Vega R, Hita-Contreras F, Mendoza N, MartínezAmat A. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the falls efficacy scale international in Spanish postmenopausal women. Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society. 2012;19(8):904-908.

30. Ulus Y, Durmus D, Akyol Y, Terzi Y, Bilgici A, Kuru O. Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) in community-dwelling older persons. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2012;54(3):429-33.

31. Halaweh H, Svantesson U, Rosberg S, Willen C. Crosscultural adaptation, validity and reliability of the arabic version of the falls efficacy scale-international (FES-I). Med Princ Pract. 2016;25(1):1-7.

32. Kovacs E, Rozs F, Petridisz A, Erdos R, Majercsik E. Crosscultural validation of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International to assess concerns about falls among Hungarian communityliving older people. Disabil Rehabil. 2017:1-6.

33. Kwan MM, Tsang WW, Close JC, Lord SR. Development and validation of a Chinese version of the Falls Efficacy Scale International. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2013;56(1): 169-74.

34. Thiamwong L. Psychometric Testing of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) in Thai older adults. Songklanakarin medical journal. 2011;29:277-87.

35. ProFaNE. Ten step FES-I translation protocol 2012. Available from: http://www.profane.eu.org/documents/ Ten_step_translation_protocol.pdf.

36. Beck CT, Bernal H, Froman RD. Methods to document semantic equivalence of a translated scale. Res Nurs Health. 2003;26(1):64-73.

37. ProFaNE. FES-I Translators’/Interviewers’ notes. 2012.

38. Yu DS, Lee DT, Woo J. Issues and challenges of instrument translation. West J Nurs Res. 2004;26(3):307-20.

39. Streiner DL, Norman GR, & , Cairney J. Health measurement scales: A practical guide to their development and use. 5th ed. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press; 2015.

Downloads

Published

2019-03-27

How to Cite

1.
Phongphanngam S, Lach HW. Cross-cultural Instrument Translation and Adaptation: Challenges and Strategies. PRIJNR [Internet]. 2019 Mar. 27 [cited 2024 Dec. 19];23(2):170-9. Available from: https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/PRIJNR/article/view/129032

Issue

Section

Original paper