To translate technical language for professionals into ordinary language for lay readers, we developed a five-step method: (1) Standardize the technical language; (2) produce a nontechnical version; (3) test the nontechnical version with lay readers to determine where the translation was unsuccessful; (4) determine the reading-grade level of the translation; and (5) statistically correlate the accuracy of the translation with the original. This method was used with a set of 200 educational objectives in the mental-health field and steps 3–5 verified that the translation was accurate and comprehensible. The process is explained and is directly applicable to technical prose in other fields.

To translate the technical language of a survey instrument into ordinary prose for lay readers, we developed a five-step method: 1) the technical language was standardized; 2) a nontechnical translation was produced; 3) lay readers were tested to discover what parts of the translation were unsuccessful; 4) the reading level of the translation was determined; and 5) a statistical correlation was performed to determine whether or not the translation accurately reflected the technical language. The validation measures in steps 3, 4, and 5 verified that our translation was faithful and readable.