One of the goals of Healthy People 2000 is to achieve access to preventive services for all Americans. This has proven difficult within some Spanish-speaking communities due to linguistic and cultural barriers. The health community is a """"""""written culture"""""""" in which English print materials are used to communicate health-related information to patients and their communities; they face a barrage of brochures, drug labels, self-care instructions, handouts on medical procedures and treatments, and other materials during treatment and consultation. Spanish-speaking groups are at an obvious disadvantage when it comes to obtaining health information. One response to this problem has involved an enormous expenditure of money by health organizations on translating health materials originally developed in English into Spanish. However, even when professional translators are involved in preparing print materials in Spanish, many problems tend to emerge. A translated text which is faithful to a text developed for the dominant English-speaking community (the source text) does not always produce the intended effect on those who will actually be using the text to obtain important information about their health (the target readers). Preliminary studies involving contrastive analyses of health promotion brochures show that texts prepared in English and translated into Spanish do not contain the rhetorical and linguistic features of texts developed originally in Spanish. In addition, the content of translated texts is often culturally insensitive to Spanish-speaking populations. However, more research is required to determine exactly how the two types of texts differ, what their impact is on the reader, and how more effective health messages can be developed. The goal of this research project is to compare translated and non-translated health brochures currently distributed to Spanish-speaking adults in southern Arizona and northern Mexico. Objectives include: a) Conducting a contrastive analysis of translated texts (English into Spanish) and non-translated texts (developed originally in Spanish) at five levels to determine which English-specific features interfere with communication and comprehension when transferred into the Spanish translations: Quantitative (computer) and qualitative analyses of 1) content, 2) readability, 3) speech acts, 4) macrostructural patterning, and 5) microlinguistic features for the two types of tests will be conducted; b) Field testing a subset of translated and non-translated texts through an experimental design to determine their effectiveness in promoting knowledge and attitude changes in monolingual Spanish-speaking adults. This research is aimed at creating awareness among health professionals and institutions of the differences in the written communication needs of language-minority populations. It should also lead to the development of guidelines for health workers/organizations in preparing effective written health-related materials in Spanish.
