Using Translated Instruments in Research

The "need for global exchange" for research is apparent in all areas of study, both because of the global interchange of commerce and the improvements that can be accomplished worldwide as people learn from one another. The globalization of higher education includes cross-cultural research projects often conducted by teams from many countries and the presence of students from many countries in American universities. As these students prepare theses and dissertations they naturally and appropriately want to apply their research efforts to topics of interest in their home countries. They often choose research instruments and techniques designed for Western cultures to be applied to their native culture. International and cross cultural research in the global community often requires translations of instruments. This paper reviews the development of a translation protocol for instruments written in English for a Western culture and used for a different language and culture.