Introduction:

There has been growing interest in recent years in the cross-cultural adaptation of measuring instruments for various conditions treated by physiotherapy. Validation of an instrument within a target language and culture creates a final version that is conceptually and linguistically adapted to the context but remains valid and reliable. This paper describes the process of translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) from us English to Colombian Spanish. This was performed in accordance with international methodological guidelines.

Materials and methods:

A group of trained translators and field experts participated in the five stages presented herein. These stages were translation and adaptation of the instrument to Colombian Spanish, validation of its content and appearance, back-translation, revision by the original author, and, finally, a pilot test.

Results:

The existence of two intralingual translated and revised versions of this instrument led to a more appropriate preliminary version from conceptual, discursive, and terminological perspectives. Therefore, the adjustments made in the first stage were primarily semantic. During the second stage, field experts positively assessed the translated version and suggested adjustments to grammar, spelling, and word choices. There were no significant discursive problems during the back-translation stage so conceptual and terminological adjustments were minor. The revision stage and the pilot test were satisfactory.

Conclusion:

This translation and cross-cultural adaptation was successful. The Colombian Spanish version of the measure was culturally relevant and used appropriate language, yet remained a valid and reliable tool.

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