Beyond Language: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Translation in the Audiology Clinic

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to provide background information for incorporating translation processes into the audiology clinic. This audiology doctoral project reviews previous works to provide a multidisciplinary introduction to translation in the audiology clinic and includes information from audiology, translation studies, and public health. There are several reasons why high-quality translation is important for patient education materials. Evidence suggests that many patients will not remember most of what is said verbally to them in a health care appointment. When a patient has hearing loss, memory for spoken health communication is even more difficult due to listening effort and it is hard to know exactly what a patient heard accurately in the first place. For rehabilitation appointments in the audiology clinic, there is often a large amount of new information provided to patients. In order to help patients with hearing aids or other amplification devices while they are at home, written instructions can be incredibly helpful. However, if those written instructions are not available in a patient’s preferred language, a healthcare access disparity is inadvertently created and the patient is facing a degree of discrimination in the audiology office. There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of quality translation. Evidence reviewed suggests that translation takes more than just changing the language of a text. There are many factors to consider including how culture can influence language and how the health literacy of the target population influences access to information. When these factors are not addressed appropriately, the intended message can be literally “lost in translation” or misunderstood, resulting in a reader not understanding or ultimately benefiting from a text. In audiology, this can result in patients not using or benefiting from their hearing aids as a consequence of not having access to or misunderstanding poorly translated materials.