Translation as cultural dialogue: An explorative methodological approach to translation reconciliation of DLI-Est
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background The Death Literacy Index (DLI), originally developed in Australia, is an instrument designed to measure death literacy. Although the DLI has been culturally adapted and validated in several countries, including Sweden, the United Kingdom, China, and Turkey, published accounts of the translation and adaptation process remain limited. In Estonia, where palliative care services are still developing and public discussion of death and dying is limited, a culturally appropriate measure of death literacy is needed. Objectives This study aimed to document and examine the forward translation and reconciliation process of the DLI into Estonian. Design This study focused on the first two stages of the cross-cultural adaptation process: forward translation and reconciliation. An interdisciplinary expert group independently translated the DLI into Estonian, followed by two rounds of consensus discussions to identify and resolve semantic, idiomatic, experiential, and conceptual discrepancies and consolidate the results into a unified, future-oriented translation. Methods All consensus discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were independently reviewed by two researchers and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Recurring themes and translation-related challenges were identified, coded, and organized into categories. Results Three main categories of challenges were identified (N = 66). Most were related to linguistic challenges (n = 34, 52%), primarily within the semantic precision subcategory. In the approach to translation (n = 20, 30%), most were concerned with terminology management. Cultural appropriateness showed the fewest challenges (n = 12, 18%). Conclusion This study demonstrates that the cross-cultural adaptation of research instruments is more than linguistic translation and requires careful negotiation of pragmatic conventions, local terminology, and cultural meanings. By combining cultural aspects with linguistic precision, this study provides a transferable methodological framework for future adaptations of similar instruments.
Institution: University of Tartu
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,000
Funder: Eesti Teadusagentuur
OpenAlex ID: W7223235524