OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the BODY-Q instrument into Finnish for clinical and research purposes in post bariatric and body contouring surgery. METHODS:  The linguistic validation adhered to the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) guidelines. Two separate native Finnish translators produced two forward-translations from English to Finnish and both translations were reconciled into a single version. A back-translation of the first merged Finnish version was produced by a native English translator who was fluent in Finnish and familiar with Finnish culture. A "back-translation panel" and a multidisciplinary committee assessed the whole process on separate occasions. Five patients participated in pilot-testing the proposed Finnish version and were thereafter interviewed to reveal any discrepancies in the questionnaire. The committee assessed the pilot-testing and cognitive debriefing outcomes. A linguistic expert proofread the final Finnish version. RESULTS: The back-translation revealed minor linguistic differences compared to the original English version. The differences were discussed and addressed with the questionnaire developer. A review panel and a multidisciplinary committee each reviewed the different versions of the translations. The pilot-testing and cognitive debriefing interviews with patients indicated high external validity. Specifically, patients described the Finnish version of the BODY-Q as being understandable and easy to complete. No further adjustments were required and the final version was completed. CONCLUSIONS:  The BODY-Q translated easily into Finnish. The linguistic validation process provided evidence of external validity as assessed by the interviewees. The Finnish version of the BODY-Q is suitable for both scientific and research purposes in assessing outcomes in post bariatric and body contouring surgery in the Finnish-speaking population. However, the psychometric properties of the Finnish version of the BODY-Q warrant further studying.