Translating a health professional certification test to another language. A pilot analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Linguistic Validation
• Occupational Testing

Background:

• Growing demand for multilingual occupational and professional credentialing examinations.
• International credentialing programs necessitate examination translation and validation.
• Small sample sizes in translated versions challenge statistical analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the challenge of validating translated examinations with limited candidate pools.
• To describe linguistic and psychometric procedures for small-n translation validation.
• To present a case study from the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE).

Main Methods:

• Development of linguistic procedures for translation assessment.
• Application of psychometric methods suitable for small sample sizes.
• Pilot testing and validation of a translated examination.

Main Results:

• Successful implementation of novel linguistic and psychometric procedures.
• Demonstrated feasibility of exam translation validation despite small n.
• Provided a framework for international credentialing bodies.

Conclusions:

• It is possible to validate translated occupational credentialing exams even with small sample sizes.
• The described methods support linguistic responsibilities in international credentialing.
• The IBLCE pilot offers a model for other international examination boards.