Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Adapting Tests for Use in Multiple Languages and Cultures

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There is a growing interest in using tests constructed and validated for use in one language and culture in other languages and cultures. Sometimes these tests when adapted for use in a second language and culture can further research and meet informational needs, and other times, cross-cultural comparative studies can be carried out. But, whatever the purpose for the test adaptations, questions arise concerning the validity of inferences from these adapted tests.

The purposes of this paper are (1) to consider several advantages and disadvantages of adapting tests from one language and culture to another, (2) to review several sources of error or invalidity associated with adapting tests and to suggest ways to reduce those errors, and (3) to consider test adaptation advances in one rapidly emerging area of social research – quality of life measures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Aaronson, N. K., C. Acquadro, J. Alonso and G. Apolone: 1992, ‘International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) Project’, Quality of Life Research 1(5), pp. 349–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education: 1985, Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Psychological Association, Washington, DC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, R. T., N. K. Aaronson and D. Wilkin: 1993, ‘Critical review of the international assessments of health-related quality of life’, Quality of Life Research 2(6), pp. 369–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, F., D. Jodrey, J. Zabora, C. Douglas and P. Fernandez-Kelly: 1996, ‘Empirically selected instruments for measuring quality-of-life dimensions in culturally diverse populations’, Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs 20, pp. 39–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonomi, A. E., D. F. Cella, E. A. Hahn, K. Bjordal, B. Sperner-Unterweger, L. Gangeri, B. Bergman, J. Willems-Groot, P. Hanquet and R. Zittoun: 1996, ‘Multilingual translation of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) quality of life measurement system’, Quality of Life Research 5, pp. 309–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • Budgell, G. R., N. S. Raju and D. A. Quartetti: 1995, ‘Analysis of differential item functioning in translated assessment instruments’, Applied Psychological Measurement 19(4), pp. 309–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bullinger, M., R. Anderson, D. Cella and N. Aaronson: 1993, ‘Developing and evaluating cross-cultural instruments from minimum requirements to optimal models’, Quality of Life Research 2, pp. 451–459.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canales, S., P. A. Ganz and C. A. Coscarelli: 1995, ‘Translation and validation of a quality of life instrument for Hispanic American cancer patients: methodological considerations’, Quality of Life Research 4, pp. 3–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geisinger, K. F.: 1994, ‘Cross-cultural normative assessment: Translation and adaptation issues influencing the normative interpretation of assessment instruments’, Psychological Assessment 6(4), pp. 304–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregoire, J., N. de Laval, P. Mesters and M. Czarka: 1994, ‘Validation of the Quality of Life in Depression Scale in population of adult depressive patients aged 60 and above’, Quality of Life Research 3(1), pp. 13–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guillemin, F., C. Bombardier and D. Beaton: 1993, ‘Cross-cultural adaptation of health-related quality of life measures: literature review and proposed guidelines’, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 46, pp. 1417–1432.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guyatt, G. H.: 1993, ‘The philosophy of health-related quality of life translation’, Quality of Life Research 2(6), pp. 461–465.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hambleton, R. K.: 1993, ‘Translating achievement tests for use in cross-national studies’, European Journal of Psychological Assessment 9, pp. 54–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hambleton, R. K.: 1994, ‘Guidelines for adapting educational and psychological tests: A progress report’, European Journal of Psychological Assessment 10, pp. 229–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hambleton, R. K., B. E. Clauser, K. M. Mazor and R. W. Jones: 1993, ‘Advances in the detection of differentially functioning test items’, European Journal of Psychological Assessment 9(1), pp. 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helms, J. E.: 1992, ‘Why is there no study of cultural equivalence in standardized cognitive ability testing?’, American Psychologist 47(9), pp. 1083–1101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, P. W. and H. Wainer: 1993, Differential Item Functioning (Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, Hillsdale, NJ).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hui, C. H. and H. C. Triandis: 1985, ‘Measurement in cross cultural psychology’, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 16, pp. 131–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutter, B. O. and G. Wurtemberger: 1997, ‘Reliability and validity of the German version of the Sickness Impact Profile in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease’, Psychology and Health 12(2), pp. 149–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, D.: 1991, ‘Problems in preparing personality tests and interest inventories for use in multiple cultures’, Bulletin of the International Test Commission 18, pp. 88–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krebs, D. and K. Schuessler: 1989, ‘Life feeling scales for use in German and American samples’, Social Indicators Research 21(2), pp. 113–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Naughton, M. J. and I. Wiklund: 1993, ‘A critical review of dimension-specific measures of health-related quality of life in cross-cultural research’, Quality of Life Research 2, pp. 397–432.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reise, S. P., K. F. Widaman and R. H. Pugh: 1993, ‘Confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory: Two approaches for exploring measurement invariance’, Psychological Bulletin 114(3), pp. 552–566.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spilker, B., R. L. Simpson and H. H. Tilson: 1992, ‘Quality of life bibliography and indexes: 1991 update’, Journal of Clinical Research Pharmacoepidemiology 6, pp. 205–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuchler, H., S. Hofmann, M. Bernhart and M. Brugiatelli: 1992, ‘A short multilingual quality of life questionnaire: practicability, reliability and interlingual homogeneity’, Quality of Life Research 1(2), pp. 107–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • van de Vijver, F. and R. K. Hambleton: 1996, ‘Translating tests: Some practical guidelines’, European Psychologist 1(2), pp. 89–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, T. H., D. L. Patrick, S. P. McKenna and P. S. Froese: 1996, ‘Cross-cultural development of a quality of life measure for men with erection difficulties’, Quality of Life Research 5(4), pp. 443–449.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wild, D., D. Patrick, E. Johnson, R. Berzon and A. Wald: 1995, ‘Measuring health-related quality of life in persons with genital herpes’, Quality of Life Research 4(6), pp. 532–539.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 152 Hills House South, Box 34140, Amherst, MA, 01003-4140, USA

    Ronald K. Hambleton & Liane Patsula

Authors
  1. Ronald K. Hambleton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Liane Patsula
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hambleton, R.K., Patsula, L. Adapting Tests for Use in Multiple Languages and Cultures. Social Indicators Research 45, 153–171 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006941729637

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006941729637

Keywords

Search

Navigation