ABSTRACT
Families from different cultural backgrounds may not have the same orientation and understanding a therapist/evaluator may have concerning family assessment and intervention. Clinical experience has indicated that cultural factors do obviously influence the process and result of family assessment. For various reasons, including social, economic, ecological, psychological, and cultural factors, family systems have developed and differentiated into various forms. To some extent, culture-related perceptional bias will always exist and will require adjustment and correction. A family of a different cultural background may observe and practice different patterns of authority hierarchy. Culturally-appropriate communication patterns should therefore be observed and respected within transcultural settings. Regarding the translation of an instrument for transcultural application, R. W. Brislin, W. J. Lonner, and R. M. Thorndike, as cross-cultural researchers, have made suggestions for several approaches. These include translation by expert-bilinguistics, followed by back-translation; and trial on bilingual subjects to cross-examine the equivalence of the translation.
