A reader-centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures
Medical language is typically associated with technical terms that affect readability and understandability, and the communication of information to laypeople has attracted attention in recent decades. Readability formulas are commonly used to assess the readability and understandability of written...
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| Format: | Thesis-Master by Coursework |
| Language: | English |
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Nanyang Technological University
2023
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168098 |
| _version_ | 1811688832150536192 |
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| author | Foo, Shirley Xue Li |
| author2 | Cui Feng |
| author_facet | Cui Feng Foo, Shirley Xue Li |
| author_sort | Foo, Shirley Xue Li |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Medical language is typically associated with technical terms that affect readability and understandability, and the communication of information to laypeople has attracted attention in recent decades. Readability formulas are commonly used to assess the readability and understandability of written health information, and studies have consistently reported unsatisfactory results and the limitations of such formulas, including the lack of consideration for reader factors. Concurrently, some studies have demonstrated the benefits of reader involvement in information development and translation. In the local healthcare sector, English is the common language medium for written health information, such as patient education materials (PEMs). English PEMs are then translated into mother tongue versions, but few studies have been conducted on translated PEMs in relation to acceptance. In light of this, the present thesis explores the challenges of communicating medical information to laypeople through PEMs, particularly in the context of English-to-Chinese translation. This thesis argues that readability formulas used to assess the readability and understandability of health information are limited and fail to account for reader factors. A reader-centred approach is proposed to instead better understand how readers perceive and understand translated PEMs, and how translation decisions can be informed to maximise their acceptance. To this end, a questionnaire-based survey conducted among bilingual participants found that local Chinese PEMs were considered less understandable and more technical than the English source PEMs. Perceptions of understandability, technicality, and text naturalness, as well as the presentation of information and reader motivation, were identified as important factors affecting the reception of translated PEMs. The thesis suggests that, in addition to formula-based assessments, collection of reader feedback is crucial to optimise the acceptability and effectiveness of translated PEMs in health communication. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T05:38:28Z |
| format | Thesis-Master by Coursework |
| id | ntu-10356/168098 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T05:38:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Nanyang Technological University |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1680982023-05-27T17:00:42Z A reader-centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures Foo, Shirley Xue Li Cui Feng School of Humanities Tham Wai Mun wmtham@ntu.edu.sg, cuifeng@ntu.edu.sg Humanities::Linguistics Medical language is typically associated with technical terms that affect readability and understandability, and the communication of information to laypeople has attracted attention in recent decades. Readability formulas are commonly used to assess the readability and understandability of written health information, and studies have consistently reported unsatisfactory results and the limitations of such formulas, including the lack of consideration for reader factors. Concurrently, some studies have demonstrated the benefits of reader involvement in information development and translation. In the local healthcare sector, English is the common language medium for written health information, such as patient education materials (PEMs). English PEMs are then translated into mother tongue versions, but few studies have been conducted on translated PEMs in relation to acceptance. In light of this, the present thesis explores the challenges of communicating medical information to laypeople through PEMs, particularly in the context of English-to-Chinese translation. This thesis argues that readability formulas used to assess the readability and understandability of health information are limited and fail to account for reader factors. A reader-centred approach is proposed to instead better understand how readers perceive and understand translated PEMs, and how translation decisions can be informed to maximise their acceptance. To this end, a questionnaire-based survey conducted among bilingual participants found that local Chinese PEMs were considered less understandable and more technical than the English source PEMs. Perceptions of understandability, technicality, and text naturalness, as well as the presentation of information and reader motivation, were identified as important factors affecting the reception of translated PEMs. The thesis suggests that, in addition to formula-based assessments, collection of reader feedback is crucial to optimise the acceptability and effectiveness of translated PEMs in health communication. Master of Arts (Translation and Interpretation) 2023-05-26T06:07:29Z 2023-05-26T06:07:29Z 2023 Thesis-Master by Coursework Foo, S. X. L. (2023). A reader-centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures. Master's thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168098 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168098 en application/pdf Nanyang Technological University |
| spellingShingle | Humanities::Linguistics Foo, Shirley Xue Li A reader-centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures |
| title | A reader-centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures |
| title_full | A reader-centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures |
| title_fullStr | A reader-centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures |
| title_full_unstemmed | A reader-centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures |
| title_short | A reader-centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures |
| title_sort | reader centred analysis on the translation of health information brochures |
| topic | Humanities::Linguistics |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168098 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fooshirleyxueli areadercentredanalysisonthetranslationofhealthinformationbrochures AT fooshirleyxueli readercentredanalysisonthetranslationofhealthinformationbrochures |