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survey translation

  • 1.  survey translation

    Posted 01-22-2008 22:30
    Hello everybody.
     
    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...
     
    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?
    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?
    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?
     
    Any help is appreciated.
     
    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro
     


  • 2.  survey translation

    Posted 01-22-2008 22:46
    You need to have it translated, you need to give it to someone else and have them translate it back. Then you need to see if its still asking the questions you want. There is a software tool called Spoken Translation for about $1500 and it will let you do the cross translation yourself.

    TS

    On Jan 22, 2008, at 10:30 PM, Rodeiro, Carlos wrote:

    Hello everybody.
     
    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...
     
    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?
    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?
    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?
     
    Any help is appreciated.
     
    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro
     



  • 3.  survey translation

    Posted 01-22-2008 22:52
    Carlos,
     
    A reverse translation from the foreign language, in this case Spanish, back into English is usually a good check on the accuracy of the initial translation.
     
    Larry
     
     
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of Rodeiro, Carlos
    Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 7:30 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: survey translation

    Hello everybody.
     
    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...
     
    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?
    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?
    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?
     
    Any help is appreciated.
     
    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro
     


  • 4.  survey translation

    Posted 01-23-2008 05:18
    Hi Carlos,
    Fons van de Vijver has worked in this area. I think his work on
    translation was published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.
    Regards, Birgit

    Dr. Birgit Schyns
    Reader in Organisational Behaviour
    University of Portsmouth
    Portsmouth Business School
    Richmond Building
    Portland Street
    Portsmouth
    PO1 3DE
    UK
    E-Mail: birgit.schyns@port.ac.uk
    Phone: 0044 23 92844664


    >>> "Rodeiro, Carlos" <crodeir@TULANE.EDU> 23/01/2008 03:30 >>>
    Hello everybody.

    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects
    are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to
    make the translation. Ergo...

    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their
    translations and retain the best one?
    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts'
    check his/her translation?
    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for
    their comments?

    Any help is appreciated.

    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro
    crodeir@tulane.edu
    carlos.rodeiro@laedc.com.ve


  • 5.  survey translation

    Posted 01-23-2008 06:41
    Carlos:

    After translation and then independent back translation as others
    have noted, I would administer the Spanish version to a few people and ask
    them to note anything that is not clear. In the past we have had problems
    with negatively worded items with Spanish samples, even with existing
    scales that have excellent psychometric properties with English-speaking
    samples. If you have such items, I would make sure that your small sample
    responds to them in a consistent manner with the positively worded items,
    and doesn't just disagree with all the negatives, regardless of responses
    to the positively worded items.

    Paul E. Spector
    Department of Psychology
    University of South Florida
    Tampa, FL 33620
    (813) 974-0357 Voice
    (813) 974-4617 Fax
    spector@shell.cas.usf.edu
    website http://shell.cas.usf.edu/~spector

    On Tue, 22 Jan 2008, Rodeiro, Carlos wrote:

    > Hello everybody.
    >
    > I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...
    >
    > a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?
    > b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?
    > c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?
    >
    > Any help is appreciated.
    >
    > Regards, Carlos Rodeiro
    > crodeir@tulane.edu
    > carlos.rodeiro@laedc.com.ve
    >
    >


  • 6.  survey translation

    Posted 01-23-2008 06:50

    Carlos,

     

    I would definitely suggest the translation-retranslation method-which is typically employed-as a start. However, I would select your translators to fit the country/region where you are doing the research. For example, the Spanish in South America differs for that of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region> to a certain degree, and there are country differences even within <st1:place w:st="on">South America</st1:place>.  Also, I would make sure your translators are familiar with the way the language is currently used in that country or region. We did a study in Korean and had the instruments translated and re-translated by Korean experts in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>. However, these experts had not lived in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region> for a number of years. When the company in question reviewed the questionnaire, they identified a few technically correct but archaic terms that were no longer in common use, especially with the younger generation (who made up a large percentage of their workforce).  Language is constantly evolving. I would have several knowledgeable people at the research location review the questionnaire as an extra check. If the research is conducted across countries or regions, then it might be more challenging.

     

    Although I'm not familiar with the software one responder recommended, I would stay away from translation software for tasks where the meaning of the items needs to be precise. I frequently attend government and private sector language conferences, and there is always a section on machine translation of foreign languages. From what I can see, the technology works fairly well for sentences and simple paragraphs using very common vocabulary, no culturally-bound idioms or jargon, and very simple grammatical constructions.  If your items are simple and use very common vocabulary and grammatical constructions, you might be ok. But, I would hire two independent translators.  You might be able to get two Spanish professors at your university to help, if the cost of translation is an issue. I would check language professional organization websites for resources as well.

     

    On a related note, if you have sufficient data from the questionnaire in Spanish (Spanish-speaking participants) and in English (administered to English-speaking participants in the US), you can always investigate whether or not the Spanish-speaking participants in your sample view the constructs and the items the same as the English-speaking participants in the English sample.  This addresses the issue of measurement equivalence, which is not necessarily ensured by a good translation. If you investigate this issue, I would use the CFA measurement invariance/equivalence technique (Vandenberg & Lance, 2000; Vandenberg, 2002). However, this assumes that you have data on the instrument from an English-speaking sample, have sufficient sample sizes, have CFA experience/software, and care to use English speakers as a reference group (i.e., does it fit the research intent?).

     

    When working cross-culturally, there is always the chance that differences between the two cultures will create a differential interpretation of the items and therefore differential patterns of response, leading to different definitions of the construct(s) between the groups. Of course, there is an interesting confound inherent if measurement invariance is not found in a situation where the language and culture are both different-is the lack of equivalence a result of the translation being off or of real cultural differences in interpretations for that construct? This is when pervious research and theory should guide your interpretation of results. In our Korean study, we looked at goal orientation as one of the predictor variables. We used Vandewalle's three-factor scale. We found invariance for learning and performance prove GO between our Korean and American samples. However, performance avoid GO lacked equivalence between the groups. Luckily, the specifics of this finding were consistent with other research and cultural differences. I guess this part is a caution more than an answer to your translation question-accurate translation does not ensure equivalent measurement (if that's an important issue for you).

     

    Good luck with your dissertation.

     

    Regards,

    Eric

     

    Eric A. Surface, PhD
    President

    SWA Consulting Inc

     

    919.781.8031 (Main Office)
    919.781.8037 (Office)
    919.454.4824 (<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mobile</st1:place></st1:city>)
    919.781.8335 (Fax)
    esurface@swa-consulting.com

     

    <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">3901 Barrett Drive</st1:address></st1:street>

    <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Suite</st1:street> 200</st1:address>

    <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Raleigh</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">NC</st1:state> <st1:postalcode w:st="on">27609</st1:postalcode></st1:place>

     

    This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure. It is solely intended for the person(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, any reading, use, disclosure, copying or distribution of all or parts of this e-mail or associated attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by replying to this message or by telephone and delete this e-mail and any attachments permanently from your system.  Thank you.

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of Rodeiro, Carlos
    Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 10:30 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: survey translation

     

    Hello everybody.

     

    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...

     

    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?

    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?

    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?

     

    Any help is appreciated.

     

    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro

     



  • 7.  survey translation

    Posted 01-23-2008 08:33

    Carlos,

     

    De lo que conozco se debería traducir al español y después nuevamente al ingles y verificar consistencia. Imagino que deben ser personas diferentes las que hagan  cada traducción.

     

    Virginia

     

    De: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] En nombre de Rodeiro, Carlos
    Enviado el: martes, 22 de enero de 2008 22:30
    Para: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Asunto: survey translation

     

    Hello everybody.

     

    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...

     

    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?

    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?

    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?

     

    Any help is appreciated.

     

    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro

     



  • 8.  survey translation

    Posted 01-23-2008 09:01
    Carlos,
     
    The project I am working on has some traslatio issues involved. I was told to read :
     
    Brislin, R.W. (1970). Back-translation for cross cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1, 185-216.
     
    You may also find this useful.

     
    Nicole Y. Kim
    VCU School of Business-Department of Management
    301 W. Main Street, Box 844000
    Richmond, VA 23284-4000
    kimny@vcu.edu

    -----Organizational Behavior Division Listserv <OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu> wrote: -----

    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    From: Eric Surface <esurface@SWA-CONSULTING.COM>
    Sent by: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv <OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu>
    Date: 01/23/2008 06:49AM
    Subject: Re: survey translation

    Carlos,

     

    I would definitely suggest the translation-retranslation method-which is typically employed-as a start. However, I would select your translators to fit the country/region where you are doing the research. For example, the Spanish in South America differs for that of <st1>Spain :country-region to a certain degree, and there are country differences even within South America .   Also, I would make sure your translators are familiar with the way the language is currently used in that country or region. We did a study in Korean and had the instruments translated and re-translated by Korean experts in the US . However, these experts had not lived in Korea for a number of years. When the company in question reviewed the questionnaire, they identified a few technically correct but archaic terms that were no longer in common use, especially with the younger generation (who made up a large percentage of their workforce).   Language is constantly evolving. I would have several knowledgeable people at the research location review the questionnaire as an extra check. If the research is conducted across countries or regions, then it might be more challenging. </st1>

     

    Although I'm not familiar with the software one responder recommended, I would stay away from translation software for tasks where the meaning of the items needs to be precise. I frequently attend government and private sector language conferences, and there is always a section on machine translation of foreign languages. From what I can see, the technology works fairly well for sentences and simple paragraphs using very common vocabulary, no culturally-bound idioms or jargon, and very simple grammatical constructions.   If your items are simple and use very common vocabulary and grammatical constructions, you might be ok. But, I would hire two independent translators.   You might be able to get two Spanish professors at your university to help, if the cost of translation is an issue. I would check language professional organization websites for resources as well.

     

    On a related note, if you have sufficient data from the questionnaire in Spanish (Spanish-speaking participants) and in English (administered to English-speaking participants in the US), you can always investigate whether or not the Spanish-speaking participants in your sample view the constructs and the items the same as the English-speaking participants in the English sample.   This addresses the issue of measurement equivalence, which is not necessarily ensured by a good translation. If you investigate this issue, I would use the CFA measurement invariance/equivalence technique (Vandenberg & Lance, 2000; Vandenberg, 2002). However, this assumes that you have data on the instrument from an English-speaking sample, have sufficient sample sizes, have CFA experience/software, and care to use English speakers as a reference group (i.e., does it fit the research intent?).

     

    When working cross-culturally, there is always the chance that differences between the two cultures will create a differential interpretation of the items and therefore differential patterns of response, leading to different definitions of the construct(s) between the groups. Of course, there is an interesting confound inherent if measurement invariance is not found in a situation where the language and culture are both different-is the lack of equivalence a result of the translation being off or of real cultural differences in interpretations for that construct? This is when pervious research and theory should guide your interpretation of results. In our Korean study, we looked at goal orientation as one of the predictor variables. We used Vandewalle's three-factor scale. We found invariance for learning and performance prove GO between our Korean and American samples. However, performance avoid GO lacked equivalence between the groups. Luckily, the specifics of this finding were consistent with other research and cultural differences. I guess this part is a caution more than an answer to your translation question-accurate translation does not ensure equivalent measurement (if that's an important issue for you).

     

    Good luck with your dissertation.

     

    Regards,

    Eric

     

    Eric A. Surface, PhD
    President

    SWA Consulting Inc

     

    919.781.8031 (Main Office)
    919.781.8037 (Office)
    919.454.4824 ( Mobile )
    919.781.8335 (Fax)
    esurface@swa-consulting.com

     

    3901 Barrett Drive

    Suite 200

    Raleigh , NC 27609

     

    This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure. It is solely intended for the person(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, any reading, use, disclosure, copying or distribution of all or parts of this e-mail or associated attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by replying to this message or by telephone and delete this e-mail and any attachments permanently from your system.   Thank you.

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of Rodeiro, Carlos
    Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 10:30 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: survey translation

     

    Hello everybody.

     

    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...

     

    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?

    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?

    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?

     

    Any help is appreciated.

     

    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro

     




  • 9.  survey translation

    Posted 01-23-2008 09:08
    Carlos,
     

    You might find this book useful:

     

    Behling, O. & Law, K.S. (2000). Translating Questionnaires and Other Research Instruments: Problems and Solutions. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Thousand Oaks</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">CA</st1:state></st1:place>: Sage Publications.

     
    Good luck!
     
    --juan carlos

    De: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv en nombre de Eric Surface
    Enviado el: mié 23/01/2008 12:49
    Para: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Asunto: Re: survey translation

    Carlos,

     

    I would definitely suggest the translation-retranslation method-which is typically employed-as a start. However, I would select your translators to fit the country/region where you are doing the research. For example, the Spanish in South America differs for that of Spain to a certain degree, and there are country differences even within South America.  Also, I would make sure your translators are familiar with the way the language is currently used in that country or region. We did a study in Korean and had the instruments translated and re-translated by Korean experts in the US. However, these experts had not lived in Korea for a number of years. When the company in question reviewed the questionnaire, they identified a few technically correct but archaic terms that were no longer in common use, especially with the younger generation (who made up a large percentage of their workforce).  Language is constantly evolving. I would have several knowledgeable people at the research location review the questionnaire as an extra check. If the research is conducted across countries or regions, then it might be more challenging.

     

    Although I'm not familiar with the software one responder recommended, I would stay away from translation software for tasks where the meaning of the items needs to be precise. I frequently attend government and private sector language conferences, and there is always a section on machine translation of foreign languages. From what I can see, the technology works fairly well for sentences and simple paragraphs using very common vocabulary, no culturally-bound idioms or jargon, and very simple grammatical constructions.  If your items are simple and use very common vocabulary and grammatical constructions, you might be ok. But, I would hire two independent translators.  You might be able to get two Spanish professors at your university to help, if the cost of translation is an issue. I would check language professional organization websites for resources as well.

     

    On a related note, if you have sufficient data from the questionnaire in Spanish (Spanish-speaking participants) and in English (administered to English-speaking participants in the US), you can always investigate whether or not the Spanish-speaking participants in your sample view the constructs and the items the same as the English-speaking participants in the English sample.  This addresses the issue of measurement equivalence, which is not necessarily ensured by a good translation. If you investigate this issue, I would use the CFA measurement invariance/equivalence technique (Vandenberg & Lance, 2000; Vandenberg, 2002). However, this assumes that you have data on the instrument from an English-speaking sample, have sufficient sample sizes, have CFA experience/software, and care to use English speakers as a reference group (i.e., does it fit the research intent?).

     

    When working cross-culturally, there is always the chance that differences between the two cultures will create a differential interpretation of the items and therefore differential patterns of response, leading to different definitions of the construct(s) between the groups. Of course, there is an interesting confound inherent if measurement invariance is not found in a situation where the language and culture are both different-is the lack of equivalence a result of the translation being off or of real cultural differences in interpretations for that construct? This is when pervious research and theory should guide your interpretation of results. In our Korean study, we looked at goal orientation as one of the predictor variables. We used Vandewalle's three-factor scale. We found invariance for learning and performance prove GO between our Korean and American samples. However, performance avoid GO lacked equivalence between the groups. Luckily, the specifics of this finding were consistent with other research and cultural differences. I guess this part is a caution more than an answer to your translation question-accurate translation does not ensure equivalent measurement (if that's an important issue for you).

     

    Good luck with your dissertation.

     

    Regards,

    Eric

     

    Eric A. Surface, PhD
    President

    SWA Consulting Inc

     

    919.781.8031 (Main Office)
    919.781.8037 (Office)
    919.454.4824 (Mobile)
    919.781.8335 (Fax)
    esurface@swa-consulting.com

     

    3901 Barrett Drive

    Suite 200

    Raleigh, NC 27609

     

    This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure. It is solely intended for the person(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, any reading, use, disclosure, copying or distribution of all or parts of this e-mail or associated attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by replying to this message or by telephone and delete this e-mail and any attachments permanently from your system.  Thank you.

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of Rodeiro, Carlos
    Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 10:30 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: survey translation

     

    Hello everybody.

     

    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...

     

    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?

    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?

    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?

     

    Any help is appreciated.

     

    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro

     



  • 10.  survey translation

    Posted 01-23-2008 12:24

    Carlos,

     

    I get the impression that you speak Spanish (could be Portuguese, guessing from your last name).    If you do speak Spanish, then you should translate the instrument yourself (You know better than anyone else about the meanings you want to convey), then send the Spanish version to a couple of people over there (Wherever "over there" is, where your target population is), who can translate it back into English.  Then you can compare their English versions to your own, and identify issues of meanings!  Adjust them, I go with it!

     

    Buena Suerte!!

     

    Thanks,


    Ivan

     

     

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of Rodeiro, Carlos
    Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:30 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: survey translation

     

    Hello everybody.

     

    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...

     

    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?

    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?

    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?

     

    Any help is appreciated.

     

    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro

     



  • 11.  survey translation

    Posted 01-23-2008 12:37
    Hey, Carlos,
    Here is the citation I normally use when I translate and back-translate scales for cross-cultural studies. It's useful to me b/c it talks about some procedure for the process.

    Van De Vijver, F.J.R., & Leung, K. (1997). Methods and data analysis of comparative research. In J.W. Berry, Y.H. Poortinga, J. Pandey (Eds): Handbook of cross-cultural psychology (Vol.1). Boston:  Allyn and Bacon, 301-346.


    All the best

    Liu-Qin


    On Jan 23, 2008 12:23 PM, Blanco, R Ivan <rb39@txstate.edu> wrote:

    Carlos,

     

    I get the impression that you speak Spanish (could be Portuguese, guessing from your last name).    If you do speak Spanish, then you should translate the instrument yourself (You know better than anyone else about the meanings you want to convey), then send the Spanish version to a couple of people over there (Wherever "over there" is, where your target population is), who can translate it back into English.  Then you can compare their English versions to your own, and identify issues of meanings!  Adjust them, I go with it!

     

    Buena Suerte!!

     

    Thanks,


    Ivan

     

     

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of Rodeiro, Carlos
    Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:30 PM


    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: survey translation

     

    Hello everybody.

     

    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...

     

    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?

    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?

    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?

     

    Any help is appreciated.

     

    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro

     




    --
    Out of clutter, find simplicity.
    From discord, find harmony.
    In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.
                             -- Albert Einstein

    ************************************************
    Liuqin Yang, MA
    Ph.D. student
    Industrial and Organizational Psychology
    University of South Florida
    Tampa, 33620, FL.
    http://myweb.usf.edu/~lyang2/
    ************************************************


  • 12.  survey translation

    Posted 01-23-2008 14:14

    Carlos,
     
    Also see Sperber et al (1994) Cross Cultural Validation: Methodology and Validation. JCCP, 25,4, 501-524
     
    There is some work on how to quantitatively evaluate the translation, c.f.
     

    Sireci et al (2006) Quantitative Methods for Verifying Semantic Equivalenceof Translated Research Instruments:A Chinese Version of the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale. JCCP, 37, 557-567

     

    Also, you probably should check for measurement invariance between the original version and the new version, given that the two scales might be operating differently.


    Hope that helps,
    Gazi Islam
    Ibmec São Paulo
    Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:08:27 +0100
    From: JCPastor@PROFESOR.IE.EDU
    Subject: Re: survey translation
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu

    Carlos,
     

    You might find this book useful:

     

    Behling, O. & Law, K.S. (2000). Translating Questionnaires and Other Research Instruments: Problems and Solutions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

     
    Good luck!
     
    --juan carlos

    De: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv en nombre de Eric Surface
    Enviado el: mié 23/01/2008 12:49
    Para: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Asunto: Re: survey translation

    Carlos,

     

    I would definitely suggest the translation-retranslation method-which is typically employed-as a start. However, I would select your translators to fit the country/region where you are doing the research. For example, the Spanish in South America differs for that of Spain to a certain degree, and there are country differences even within South America.  Also, I would make sure your translators are familiar with the way the language is currently used in that country or region. We did a study in Korean and had the instruments translated and re-translated by Korean experts in the US. However, these experts had not lived in Korea for a number of years. When the company in question reviewed the questionnaire, they identified a few technically correct but archaic terms that were no longer in common use, especially with the younger generation (who made up a large percentage of their workforce).  Language is constantly evolving. I would have several knowledgeable people at the research location review the questionnaire as an extra check. If the research is conducted across countries or regions, then it might be more challenging.

     

    Although I'm not familiar with the software one responder recommended, I would stay away from translation software for tasks where the meaning of the items needs to be precise. I frequently attend government and private sector language conferences, and there is always a section on machine translation of foreign languages. From what I can see, the technology works fairly well for sentences and simple paragraphs using very common vocabulary, no culturally-bound idioms or jargon, and very simple grammatical constructions.  If your items are simple and use very common vocabulary and grammatical constructions, you might be ok. But, I would hire two independent translators.  You might be able to get two Spanish professors at your university to help, if the cost of translation is an issue. I would check language professional organization websites for resources as well.

     

    On a related note, if you have sufficient data from the questionnaire in Spanish (Spanish-speaking participants) and in English (administered to English-speaking participants in the US), you can always investigate whether or not the Spanish-speaking participants in your sample view the constructs and the items the same as the English-speaking participants in the English sample.  This addresses the issue of measurement equivalence, which is not necessarily ensured by a good translation. If you investigate this issue, I would use the CFA measurement invariance/equivalence technique (Vandenberg & Lance, 2000; Vandenberg, 2002). However, this assumes that you have data on the instrument from an English-speaking sample, have sufficient sample sizes, have CFA experience/software, and care to use English speakers as a reference group (i.e., does it fit the research intent?).

     

    When working cross-culturally, there is always the chance that differences between the two cultures will create a differential interpretation of the items and therefore differential patterns of response, leading to different definitions of the construct(s) between the groups. Of course, there is an interesting confound inherent if measurement invariance is not found in a situation where the language and culture are both different-is the lack of equivalence a result of the translation being off or of real cultural differences in interpretations for that construct? This is when pervious research and theory should guide your interpretation of results. In our Korean study, we looked at goal orientation as one of the predictor variables. We used Vandewalle's three-factor scale. We found invariance for learning and performance prove GO between our Korean and American samples. However, performance avoid GO lacked equivalence between the groups. Luckily, the specifics of this finding were consistent with other research and cultural differences. I guess this part is a caution more than an answer to your translation question-accurate translation does not ensure equivalent measurement (if that's an important issue for you).

     

    Good luck with your dissertation.

     

    Regards,

    Eric

     

    Eric A. Surface, PhD
    President

    SWA Consulting Inc

     

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    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of Rodeiro, Carlos
    Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 10:30 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: survey translation

     

    Hello everybody.

     

    I wrote a questionnaire in English --for my dissertation-- but subjects are spanish-speaking people. I'm not sure about the right procedure to make the translation. Ergo...

     

    a) Do I need to give the questionnaire to several persons, check their translations and retain the best one?

    b) Do I have to give it to one person and then have other 'experts' check his/her translation?

    c) Can I make the translation and deliver it to other 'experts' for their comments?

     

    Any help is appreciated.

     

    Regards, Carlos Rodeiro

     


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