Addressing linguistic and cultural diversity in interview research: Some challenges and ways forward. Dr Jane Andrews, University of the West of England

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Addressing linguistic and cultural diversity in
interview research Some challenges and ways
forward.Dr Jane Andrews,University of the West
of England
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Outline of Session

• Translation and interpretation in qualitative
  research issues raised in the literature
•  
• Background to my study (nested within the
  Home-School Knowledge Exchange project)
•  
• Ways in which linguistic and cultural diversity
  have been addressed in social science research
•  
• Examples of issues arising from conducting
  qualitative interviews with an interpreter
•  

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Issues raised in different literatures (1)

• Current sociology does not confine itself to
  social problems and works across language
  barriers, but arguably the lack of critical
  attention given to the process of linguistic
  translation and its articulation with the
  translation of cultural processes persists
• Bradby, H. (2002) Translating culture and
  language a research note on multilingual
  settings In Sociology of Health and Illness Vol.
  24, No.6, pp.842-855
• Example of different ways of translating terms
  such as sister brother into other languages
  when health workers take medical histories from
  patients

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Issues raised in different literatures (2)

• Translations, then are never easy, never
  transparent, never simple encodings and decodings
  from one language to another. Representation,
  self-presentation can never be simply a matter of
  language in such contexts. For any
  cross-cultural intervention, there are a whole
  complex set of issues around cultural difference,
  difference within cultural groups and culturalist
  assumptions that need to be anticipated and built
  into the research methodology.
• Kamler, B., Threadgold, T. (2003) Translating
  Difference questions of representation in
  cross-cultural research encounters In Journal of
  Intercultural Studies, Vol.24, No.2, p.137-151
• Example of narrative workshops conducted by
  Australian researchers with Australian-Vietnamese
  women with a translator

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Issues raised in different literatures (3)

• there is very little reflection on the
  implications for qualitative research of language
  difference and the use of third parties in
  communication across languages This is a
  strange omission given that qualitative
  approaches are steeped in a tradition that
  acknowledges the importance of reflexivity and
  context.
• Temple, B., Edwards, R. (2002)
  Interpreters/translators and cross-language
  research Reflexivity and border crossings In
  International Journal of Qualitative Methods 1
  (2)
• Links reflexivity with a call to consider
  interpreters as active in producing research
  accounts

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Issues raised in different literatures (4)

• to conduct meaningful research with people who
  speak little or no English, English speaking
  researchers need to talk to the interpreters and
  translators they are working with about their
  perspectives on the issues being discussed.
• Temple, B., Edwards, R. (2002)
  Interpreters/translators and cross-language
  research Reflexivity and border crossings In
  International Journal of Qualitative Methods 1
  (2)
• Implication for writing up research making the
  interpreter visible

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Issues raised in different literatures (5)

• in qualitative research, interviewing is
  perceived as a participative activity to generate
  knowledge, a two way learning process, where the
  subjectivities of the research participants
  influence data collection and the process of
  meaning making. Cultural differences have
  significance for both phases.
• Shah, S. (2004) The researcher/interviewer in
  intercultural context a social intruder! In
  British Educational Research Journal Vol.30,
  No.4, pp.549-575
• Cultural diversity and linguistic diversity
  present challenges in research

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Background to my study (nested within the
Home-School Knowledge Exchange Project)

• Socio-cultural theory (Wertsch 1985, 1991, 1998)
  underpins the research as well as the notion of
  Funds of Knowledge (Luis Moll et al 1992)
• A large-scale project with two angles
  action-based research and more traditionally
  focused research (evaluation of action-based
  research, measures of childrens attainment,
  attitudes and learning disposition and
  investigations of home practices using case
  studies)
• Research sites covered 2 UK cities, detailed
  sampling of schools, classes, children and parents

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Ways of addressing linguistic and cultural
diversity in research

• Employing researchers who share the same
  linguistic and cultural heritage as the research
  participants (as practised by e.g. Eve Gregory,
  Charmian Kenner, Gill Crozier)
• Use of family members/children as
  interpreters/translators in research in the home
• Use of outside interpreters in research in the
  home

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Using an interpreter in interview research

• Implications at different stages of the research
  process
• design of instruments,
• gaining access to research participants,
• briefing of interpreter,
• roles within research interview,
• interpretation of the data obtained,
• presentation of the data

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Working with a bilingual transcript or with
interpreted data only?

• In terms of the professional practice of
  interpreters, the interpreted comments are the
  product but for research purposes maybe this is
  not the case?
• What happens if we compare interpreted data with
  a full bilingual transcript?

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Interpreted Data Issues Arising from Data (1)

• Treatment of humour communicated or omitted on
  interpreters judgement (if he has any
  interests!)
• Cross-cultural difference in the associations of
  certain terms interpreter conveys a concept
  laden with a particular value-judgement (Risk)
• Sequencing of content in interpreted utterances
  could imply a hierarchy of significance to the
  researcher (he likes history, maths, PE)
• Treatment of direct quotations by the interpreter
  (Ive just got to do it)
• Reporting (Dad says) versus interpreting (I
  dont know much English)

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Interpreted Data Issues Arising from Data (2)

• Treatment of so-called technical language
  (figures and maths)
• Leading questions (e.g. interpreter asks parent
  if they feel they have missed out on something by
  having studied at school for a few years)
• addition of intensifiers (very good at maths)
• Loss of detail (very interested in his studies)
• Interpreter develops a rapport (we (Indian
  people))
• Interpreter allays fears about research (these
  questions are about)
• Interpreter gives culturally relevant examples
  (in our cookery we use handfuls)

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Implications for conducting research in
linguistically and culturally diverse settings

• Interpreter as a co-researcher
• Briefing and debriefing are essential
• Planning for working with an interpreter (time,
  cost)
• Consideration of how interpreter/interpreted data
  match with the research paradigm and design
• Decisions need to be made whether to work with
  interpreted data only or with a bilingual
  (translated) transcript