Verification of Non-English-Language Prescription Label Translations

Abstract

Objectives: To verify a set of translated medication labels in consultation with native speakers of non-English languages, specifically for this study: Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya, and Vietnamese. Methods: Native speakers of target languages were recruited from academic and community organizations in the Tucson area. Participants were asked to review a set of translated directions and complete a survey regarding the validity and comprehensibility of the translations. In some cases, a short interview was used to clarify any comments or corrections made by the participants. Results: Surveys were completed by 23 participants, 12 men and 11 women, covering seven languages, with an uneven distribution between languages. Directions in Somali were the least problematic, with relatively strong agreement between respondents. Amharic directions were rated poorly and scored consistently worse than the overall average. Tigrinya had the most variation between respondents compared to other languages. Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese all received rather high scores, but analysis is complicated by a small sample size for each. Among responses to the open-ended questions, comments regarding word choice were the most common, for various reasons. Conclusions: We were able to validate some of the provided translations, but found that certain languages posed more problems than others, and these translations would need to undergo further review before they can be reliably used in clinical practice.