BACKGROUND: Vocal fatigability (VF) is a subjective indicator of chronic vocal discomfort that significantly impacts vocal performance and professional quality of life, particularly for teachers. Unlike state vocal fatigue, fatigability focuses on the accumulation of fatigue in relation to the vocal demands across time. Current acoustic, aerodynamic, or auditory-perceptual measures fail to capture this subjective, multifaceted experience. Reliable assessment requires a specialized, self-administered tool that directly links vocal sensations to accumulated demands, quantifies recovery needs, and measures functional limitations. As an early indicator, measuring fatigability is essential for the effective detection and prevention of vocal disorders often caused by persistent voice use, sustained vocal effort, noise exposure, and lack of vocal training.

AIM AND METHODS: This study aims to translate and validate into US English the Vocal Fatigability Scale for Teachers (VFS-T; Contreras-Regatero & Vila-Rovira, 2024), establishing it as a reliable instrument for measuring VF in the professional teaching population. The methodology follows academic recommendations for the cultural and linguistic adaptation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). First, Translation and Cultural Adaptation employs a formal process including a concept definition document, forward translations by independent bilingual experts, committee reconciliation, and blind back-translation to ensure complete semantic and conceptual equivalence. Second, Pilot Testing (n=12–15) will verify item clarity and comprehension, requiring greater than 90% understanding from participants. Third, Psychometric Validation will recruit around 200 actively working teachers (good sample size, N>5:1 item ratio) aged 18-65 who teach at least 10 hours per week. Finally, we will assess Reliability (Test-Retest and Internal Consistency) and Validity (Concurrent Validity against a criterion standard). Clinical utility will be further established by determining optimal cut-off scores, sensitivity, and specificity.

CONCLUSION: Successful validation will yield a robust VFS-T in US English (VFS-T-E), providing clinicians and researchers with a reliable instrument for precise assessment. Focusing on the chronic impairment of vocal fatigue and resulting limitations in daily activities, this tool is crucial for the detection and prevention of vocal disorders in teachers. Its periodic assessment should be integrated into occupational health programs. Implementing preventative strategies based on accumulated vocal demands is necessary to avoid decreased teaching performance and work absenteeism.