Translation of Books about Nursing Diagnosis: Experience of Technical Proofreaders From the South of Brazil

BACKGROUND

In Brazil, nursing diagnosis appeared as a step in the nursing process in the late 1970s. In the late 1980s studies were initiated following an exchange between a group of professors from Federal University of Para Connecticut. In the 1990s literature began to appear that took into consideration nursing diagnoses, mainly in translated books.

MAIN CONTENT POINTS

The main steps in the translation of books are translation of the original text into Portuguese, proofreading, technical proofreading, and a final reading. The technical proofreaders change parts of the text that do not correspond with the ideas and the style of the authors or that cannot be well understood by the final reader; revise technical terms, concepts, and description of procedures; correct possible failures in the translation because of a lack of technical knowledge; adapt information to the Brazilian situation; and add notes to clarify the ideas of the author, using footnotes.

The original books we have translated include Handbook of Nursing Diagnosis, 6th ed. (Carpenito, 1995); Nurse's Pocket Guide: Nursing Diagnoses With Interventions, 5th ed. (Moorhouse & Doenges, 1996); Nursing Care Plans and Documentation: Nursing Diagnoses and Collaborative Problems, 2nd ed. (Carpenito, 1995); Applying Nursing Process: A Step-by-Step Guide, 4th ed. (Alfaro-LeFevre, 1998); Handbook of Nursing Diagnosis, 8th ed. (Carpenito, 1999); and Nursing Diagnosis: Application to Clinical Practice, 8th ed. (Carpenito, 2000).

Proofreading is a pleasant and rewarding activity. It provides closer contact with the authors, an opportunity to be in touch with the scientific knowledge and the English language, a way of being in touch with current literature, professional growth, and the exchange of experiences.

The difficulties encountered included adaptation from the North American to the Brazilian situation (some terms cannot be translated because of the differences between the languages), the existence of nursing diagnoses that do not apply to the Brazilian situation, too many proofreaders for the same work, and a short deadline.

CONCLUSIONS

The technical proofreading done by a group of nurses contributed to the accuracy and comprehension of the original work, allowing professional growth and the development of research in the area. The formation of a proofreading group, with no more than five professionals; discussions prior to, during, at the end of the task; consultation with experts in linguistics and in specific content areas, as well as with the author when necessary; the search for the vocabulary equivalence; and stimulation of scientific works in the technical proofreading area are all advisable strategies.