Creating Culturally Adapted Multilingual Materials for Research

Abstract

Patients who speak languages other than English are frequently excluded from research. This exclusion exacerbates inequities, biases results, and may violate federal regulations and research ethics. Language justice is the right to communicate in an individual’s preferred language to address power imbalances and promote equity. To promote language justice in research, we propose a method to translate and culturally-adapt multifaceted research materials into multiple languages simultaneously. Our method involves a multistep approach, including professional translation, review by bilingual expert panels to refine and reach consensus, and piloting or cognitive interviews with patients and families. Key differences from other translation approaches (eg, the World Health Organization) include omitting back-translation, given its limited utility in identifying translation challenges, and limiting expert panelist and piloting-participant numbers for feasibility. We detail a step-by-step approach to operationalizing this method and outline key considerations learned after utilizing this method to translate materials into 8 languages other than English for an ongoing multicenter pediatric research study on family safety-reporting. Materials included family brochures, surveys, and intervention materials. This approach took ∼6 months overall at a cost of <$2000 per language (not including study personnel costs). Key themes across the project included (1) tailor scope to timeline, budget, and resources, (2) thoughtfully design English source materials, (3) identify and apply guiding principles throughout the translation and editing process, and (4) carefully review content and formatting to account for nuances across multiple languages. This method balances feasibility and rigor in translating participant-facing materials into multiple languages simultaneously, advancing language justice in research.