Recruiting Non-English-Speaking Participants

The approach for obtaining informed consent from participants who do not understand English but are literate in another language is :

  1. To provide an NTU-IRB-approved consent form translated into a language they understand, or  

  2. To provide an NTU-IRB-approved English informed consent form with an appended translated short consent form.

Participants must not be excluded solely due to limited English proficiency.

When enrolment of non-English-speaking participants is anticipated, the Principal Investigator (PI) should plan for translation-related costs and ensure adequate resources for the consent process where needed. The PI should also ensure that all translations are accurate and consistent with the IRB-approved English version. Translation performed by a service provider or a qualified bilingual individual must be accompanied by certification or a declaration of the translator’s qualifications or language competence and translation accuracy, which must be submitted to the NTU-IRB and retained in the study file.

When a translated short consent form is used, the following conditions must be met:

  1. The consent discussion and the translated short consent form must be conducted in a language understandable to the participant.

  2. Where required, a witness (another adult not administering the consent), fluent in both English and the participant’s language, should be present throughout the consent process.

  3. The participant (or legally authorised representative), the person obtaining consent, and the witness (where required) must all sign and date both:

    • the English full informed consent form, and
    • the translated short informed consent form.

  4. The participant should be provided with copies of both signed consent forms. The translated short informed consent form should be appended to the English full informed consent form as a single document set, with signature and date clearly indicated.

  5.  All translated and signed consent forms must be retained in the study file.

Download the Translated Short Informed Consent Form template

Click Here