RESUMEN
Reconciliation refers to the process through which two or more independent forward translations are merged into one single translation. This critical step in the translation process is difficult to formalize. The purpose of this review is to analyze how reconciliation is specified in leading guidelines for the translation of quality-of-life questionnaires and other patient-reported outcome forms with regard to the number and qualifications of individuals involved, the processes followed, as well as the criteria applied. In general, relatively little attention has been paid to characterizing the process in detail. Based on these findings, we specify criteria to be followed.
Asunto(s)
Guías como Asunto/normas , Calidad de Vida/psicología , Encuestas y Cuestionarios/normas , Traducciones , Humanos , Lenguaje , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Terminología como AsuntoRESUMEN
Quality of life has become an important end point in clinical trials and academic studies. The questionnaires developed by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Group are widely used to measure quality of life in cancer patients. The expanding geographical coverage of current studies and trials implies a continuous rise in requests for new language versions of the questionnaires. Together with normal linguistic problems in translation, cultural differences come into play, especially in translations into non-European languages. Two types of such problems can be differentiated: first, specific issues related to culturally dependent activities or phenomena; second, topical issues related to taboos. These translation challenges have to be carefully addressed to ensure the equivalence and validity of the final questionnaires.