Translation instructions - group B

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Group B

In this exercise you will translate and back translate parts of an English questionnaire called “Oswestry Disability Index” (ODI). ODI is a questionnaire consisting of 10 sections, each with 6 answer categories. It is regularly used to measure patient-perceived functional capacity in patients with chronic low back pain.

  • Task 1 – translation (20 minutes)
    Choose one person who is the writer. Translate section 9 and 10 of the ODI into Danish without talking to the other group (see below). Write your translation in the Word document ‘Group B - translation’ and carefully consider the following when translating the sections:

    1. Semantic equivalence
    2. Idiomatic equivalence
    3. Experiential equivalence
    4. Conceptual equivalence

    When finished, save the translation on the writer’s computer, and send the translation document via e-mail to a representative of Group A who will make a back translation into English (remember also to send the translation to the other member of your group).

  • Task 2 – back translation (20 minutes)
    When Group A has finished translating section 2 and 4 into Danish, you will receive it by e-mail and back translate both sections into English using the Word document ‘Group B - back translation’.

  • Task 3 – final Danish version (20 minutes)
    When both groups are done, all of you will compare the back translations (BT) with the original using the Word document ‘Content validity check gr A and B’. If there are any differences between the BT and the original, please write if you want to change your translation and what you want to change. You will first compare section 2 and 4 from group A and then section 9 and 10 from group B.

Have fun :-)

Translation documents

Here you find the translation documents you need to for the exercise (.docx format):

Questions to be translated from the ODI

Section 9 - Social life

  • My social life is normal and causes me no extra pain.
  • My social life is normal but increases the degree of pain.
  • Pain has no significant effect on my social life apart from limiting my more energetic interests, e.g. sport, etc.
  • Pain has restricted my social life and I do not go out as often.
  • Pain has restricted social life to my home.
  • I have no social life because of pain.

Section 10 - Travelling

  • I can travel anywhere without pain.
  • I can travel anywhere but it gives extra pain.
  • Pain is bad but I manage journeys over two hours.
  • Pain restricts me to journeys of less than one hour.
  • Pain restricts me to short necessary journeys under 30 minutes.
  • Pain prevents me from travelling except to receive treatment