The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #70276

Diêu-Hiên T. Hoàng, RN, MN, MPH, School of Nursing, University of Washington, 170 E. Lakeway Drive, Shelton, WA 98584, 360-427-0847, dieuhien@u.washington.edu

In an effort to eliminate health disparities for minorities, many public health programs have translated health communication materials into languages of groups with limited English proficiency. However, whether the end-users understood the materials the same way that the producers intended was another issue. This author conducted an end-user-focused research looking at the impact of translation procedures on the transfer of meaning in printed health communication materials. She examined 15 well-produced materials, interviewed persons in charge of producing them on steps taken from the English sources to the final products, and solicited from end-users the meaning they inferred from the materials. Findings showed that what end-users understood from the materials did not always match the intended meaning by the producers. Materials which were recreated in the target language were best understood. Back-translation did not make a difference in enhancing the understandability of the materials, but field-testing did. These findings have wide implications for improving access to culturally-appropriate health communication materials for minorities with limited English proficiency.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the presentation, the participant will be able to:
• Identify at least three different procedures to produce translated health communication materials.
• Recognize strengths and weaknesses of each of the above procedures.

Keywords: Health Communications, Immigrants

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Handout (.doc format, 61.0 kb)