An interpretation of the results when using translated versions is only possible with restrictions. These versions have not been tested and standardised in the various languages with regard to their reliability. The German standards must therefore be used. Overall, the translated versions of the SBE-2-KT can only provide a rough indication of a child's level of language development. Children who are clearly delayed in their language development can thus be separated from those who are clearly inconspicuous. However, differentiation in the borderline range is associated with uncertainties.

Evaluation: The overall vocabulary is decisive for assessing a child's language competence. The number of different words, i.e. the number of acquired lexical concepts, is calculated. To do this, all the words in the home/family language and those in German are added together. Words that occur in both languages are not counted twice, but only once.

The development of foreign-language versions will take some time and will not succeed completely, because migrants with around 200 different home languages live in Germany. I would be delighted if you would participate in the development of foreign-language versions. If you have the relevant language skills (or can get native speakers to help), I would like to encourage you to take on the task of producing a corresponding version. If you get in touch with me, the intended language will be added at the top to avoid unnecessary work due to double translations.

There should only ever be one version for each language so that experience can be gathered over time regarding the reliability of the early recognition of foreign-language children with language development delays. This means that it is not permitted to create, use and circulate your own versions. If there is a better translation of the SBE-2-KT into a language than the version published here, then this should be discussed. The existing version may need to be replaced. It is essential to avoid having a large number of different versions with different messages. To make it easier to use in practice, all foreign-language versions should have a standardised format. It certainly makes sense to test language skills in the language of origin/family language and in German at the same time. You can find a corresponding template .

Until now, the assessment of the language level of children growing up multilingually has been very subjective and therefore prone to error. In order to determine a child's language development delay, it is necessary to assess the level of language development in the language of origin/family language. Appropriate versions of the SBE-2-KT make this easier.

However, a simple translation of a parent questionnaire is not without its problems. It cannot necessarily be assumed that the same words in other languages differentiate best between late talkers and non-late talkers as in German. A new selection of the most meaningful words, a review of the reliability of the test and a new standardisation in the target population are actually required. However, this is hardly feasible, not only because of the enormous effort involved. Migrant children grow up here under very different circumstances: some children grow up like children in their home country, others more like German children. A standardised test that is equally reliable for all children of one language is hardly conceivable.

There are no comparable, standardised procedures in the home countries that could be adopted. Adopting a test from the home countries would not be unobjectionable either, as migrant children grow up under different living conditions here than children there.

In contrast to other language tests, transferring the SEB-2-KT to other languages is less questionable. The test has a very simple structure, as it only contains basic vocabulary words that are likely to be of similar importance in all languages. In contrast to grammar tests, a simple translation therefore seems justifiable.