Translations of Common International Student Adjustment Concerns

Development of Translation Materials for International Students

List of Adjustment Concerns

The most common adjustment concerns presented by American students at our own counseling center were integrated with items from the Presenting Problems Form developed and used by the Research Consortium of Counseling and Psychological Services in Higher Education. The integrated list consisted of 38 items from seven categories.

1. school-related (i.e., academic problems, adjustment to university life)
2. emotional distress (anxiety, depression, self-esteem, etc.)
3. interpersonal/relationship concerns (assertiveness, dating, making friends, etc.)
4. developmental issues (values, career, spiritual concerns, sexual identity/orientation, etc.)
5. behavioral problems (eating, procrastination, study habits, substance abuse, etc.)
6. environmental stressors (discrimination, sexual assault)
7. physical health problems (illness, pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, sleep, weight).

International students representing 7 major language groups reviewed the list in a focus group format or individually with the researchers. These students' suggestions were used to revise the list, deleting several items which were deemed irrelevant or consistently confusing. Several items specifically relevant to international students' experience were added:

1. Adjustment to U.S. culture
2. Communicating with professors/authorities
3. English language ability
4. Getting or using transportation
5. Re-entry to home country

The final list was 40 items in length.

Translation Procedures

The highest proportions of students come to the U.S. from Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, respectively (Institute of International Education, 2000). We chose seven of the more common languages from each of these four world regions: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Each language was translated by three separate groups:

1. International scholars -- native speakers of the languages residing temporarily in the United States for research at the University of Arkansas during 2001-2002. These scholars translated the list of presenting problems into their own native languages using the corresponding alphabetic characters.
2. Professional linguists -- also native speakers, who possessed advanced educational degrees and had experience teaching courses in the languages we requested them to translate. These translators worked at the University of Arkansas. They reviewed the interpretations of the international scholars, evaluated the accuracy of the initial translations and made alternate suggestions as needed.
3. 3. Bilingual, bicultural mental health professionals -- also native speakers who were fluent in their native language and in English, who had lived a significant amount of time in both the U.S. and their culture-of-origin, and who possessed graduate training in the provision of mental health services. They lived in various U.S. locations and abroad. All possessed graduate degrees in a mental health-related profession; most possessed doctoral degrees. These professionals reviewed the translations of the first two groups to evaluate whether the translations accurately reflected the mental health concepts being assessed. They provided suggestions and corrections as needed, as well as translating an introduction to the materials

Back to Main Translations Page