Using Cognitive Interviews to Evaluate the Spanish-Language Translation of Dietary Questionnaire

Authors

  • Kerry Levin Westat
  • Gordon B. Willis National Cancer Institute
  • Barbara H. Forsyth University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language
  • Alicia Norberg Westat
  • Martha Stapleton Kudela Westat
  • Debra Stark Westat
  • Frances E. Thompson National Cancer Institute

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18148/srm/2009.v3i1.88

Keywords:

survey translation, translation evaluation, cognitive testing, dietary survey

Abstract

We present results from a qualitative evaluation of the Spanish-language version of a dietary intake questionnaire and characterize the types of findings which emerged from several rounds of cognitive testing. Cognitive interviews were used to test the Spanish translation of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Cancer Control Supplement dietary questions, with 36 Spanish-speaking and 9 English-speaking participants. Analyses of the results identified (a) translation issues, (b) culture-specific issues, and (c) general design issues that affected both English and Spanish speakers. Results indicated that general design-oriented difficulties were particularly frequent. Our findings suggest that when appropriately structured, cognitive interviews that feature flexible probing can be useful for identifying a range of problems in survey translations, even after translations have been developed using currently accepted methods. We make several recommendations concerning practices that may be optimal in the conduct of empirical cross-cultural questionnaire evaluations.

Author Biographies

Kerry Levin, Westat

Area Director, Organizational Management and Research Group

Barbara H. Forsyth, University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language

Area Director, Performance and Analysis

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Published

2009-03-30

How to Cite

Levin, K., Willis, G. B., Forsyth, B. H., Norberg, A., Kudela, M. S., Stark, D., & Thompson, F. E. (2009). Using Cognitive Interviews to Evaluate the Spanish-Language Translation of Dietary Questionnaire. Survey Research Methods, 3(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.18148/srm/2009.v3i1.88

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