CROSS-CULTURAL TRANSLATION - METHODOLOGY AND VALIDATION

Translating questionnaires for cross-cultural research is fraught with methodological pitfalls that threaten research validity. Some flaws a re difficult to detect, leading to the erroneous conclusion that cultu ral differences are substantive when, in fact, they stem from semantic inconsistencies. We describe the process of translation and validatio n of the Hebrew version of an American questionnaire for cross-cultura l comparisons of medical students' attitudes toward preventive medical services. The results provide evidence to support the validity of the Hebrew instrument for cross-cultural comparisons. Although it is alwa ys possible to contend that differences in cross-cultural comparisons result from methodological flaws rather than actual differences, we be lieve that the arduous step-by-step process of validation described he re reduces that possibility to an acceptable minimum.