Sociolinguistic reflection on neuropsychological assessment: an insight into selected culturally adapted battery of Lebanese Arabic cognitive testing

Neuropsychological tests (NPTs) are highly dependent on education, culture differences as well as age and sex. It is therefore essential to take these factors into consideration when translating NPTs to be used in screening for cognitive impairment. Translations into Arabic must respect the principl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurological sciences 2015-10, Vol.36 (10), p.1813-1822
Main Authors: Abou-Mrad, Fadi, Tarabey, Lubna, Zamrini, Edward, Pasquier, Florence, Chelune, Gordon, Fadel, Patricia, Hayek, Maryse
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arab World
Humans
Lebanon
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Neurology
Neuropsychological Tests
Neuroradiology
Neurosciences
Neurosurgery
Original Article
Psychiatry
Psycholinguistics
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Summary:Neuropsychological tests (NPTs) are highly dependent on education, culture differences as well as age and sex. It is therefore essential to take these factors into consideration when translating NPTs to be used in screening for cognitive impairment. Translations into Arabic must respect the principles of linguistic relativity and cultural specificity of the population under study. The objective is to assess feasibility and outcome of translating neuropsychological tests to Arabic. A team of Lebanese professionals selected a battery of screening NPTs. These tests were translated into Arabic and independently back translated by a team of sociolinguists and cultural specialists. The translations were adapted to suit the Lebanese culture. The final NPT translated versions were reached by consensus of an expert panel and tested on a group of independently living community-dwelling elderly. Translated items had to be modified when: (1) terms could not be translated using one word as required by the test; (2) Concepts were foreign to the culture; (3) Translated words carried multiple meanings; (4) Words were rarely used in Lebanon; (5) Sentences did not have an equivalent; and (6) Words had letters pronounced differently by subgroups in Lebanon. Despite all measures to maintain cultural sensitivity in translations, non-linguistic challenges remained. A battery of cognitive screening tests were translated into Arabic and adapted for the Lebanese population. These adaptations allow for a better assessment of cognitive abilities since they reflect the thought patterns of the population. The challenge is to establish local normative data.
ISSN:1590-1874
1590-3478
DOI:10.1007/s10072-015-2257-3