Translating, Adapting, and Validating the Thriving from Work Questionnaire

Abstract

The Thriving from Work Questionnaire (TfWQ) was developed by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Center for Work, Health, and Well-being to measure the positive contribution work can play on a worker’s overall well-being. It is a 30-item long survey instrument covering six domains and an 8-item short form drawn from those same items. This guide describes how to produce a translated version that is defensible, publishable, and — critically — comparable to the existing English, Spanish, and German versions. It draws on our experiences of translating and validating two published TfWQ translation/validation studies (Spanish for Peru/Mexico; German), the Questionnaire’s User Manual, and best practice cross-cultural adaptation methodology. The central principle: translation is the less time-consuming part of the job. The more demanding part is demonstrating that the translated items still measure the same latent construct in your population. A linguistically flawless translation with no content validation may not be a valid instrument.