Cover not available
Article published In:
Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts
Vol. 1:1 (2015) ► pp.80–102

Translation in cross-language qualitative research

Pitfalls and opportunities

| School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
This paper considers some methodological implications related to translation in cross-language qualitative research. The paper takes a twofold stance: on the one hand, it argues that, provided the process is carried out with integrity and transparency, translation in cross-language research can be insightful, and can function as a phase of the analysis in itself. On the other hand, ‘interlanguage translation’, that is, the translation of non-native speakers’ utterances in the target language, should be avoided, or at least acknowledged as a limitation of the study. The article draws on a cross-language qualitative research study, conducted partly in Australia and partly in Italy, in the inter-disciplinary field of second language acquisition (SLA) drama education research. The article argues that a multi-approach to equivalence (dynamic, conceptual and dynamic equivalence) may be needed to translate different kinds of texts within the same study, offering a variety of examples to support these claims.
Keywords: translation in qualitative research, Cross-language translation, interlanguage translation, Second Language Acquisition and process drama, equivalence
Published online: 30 March 2015
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ttmc.1.1.04pia
References (24)
Allwright, Dick, and Kathleen M. Bailey. 1991. Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to Classroom Research for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Council of Europe. 2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. [URL].
Edwards, Rosalin. 1998. “A Critical Examination of the Use of Interpreters in the Qualitative Research Process.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 24 (1): 197–208. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Esposito, Noreen. 2001. “From Meaning to Meaning: The Influence of Translation Techniques on Non-English Focus Group Research.” Qualitative Health Research 11 (4): 568–579. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jakobson, Roman. 1959/2004. “On Linguistic Aspects of Translation.” In The Translation Studies Reader, ed. by Lawrence Venuti, 138–143. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Kao, Shin Mei, and Cecily O’Neill. 1998. Words into Worlds: Learning a Second Language through Process Drama. London: Ablex Publishing Corporation.Google Scholar
Kenny, Dorothy. 2009. “Equivalence.” In Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, ed. by Mona Baker, and Gabriela Saldanha, 96–99. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Larson, Mildred L. 1998. Meaning-based Translation: A guide to Cross-Language Equivalence. New York: University Press of America.Google Scholar
Lincoln, Yvonne, and Egon G. Guba. 1985. Naturalistic Inquiry. New York: Sage. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lo Bianco, Joseph. 2009. “The Pedagogical Significance of Content, Heritage and Identity: What can “Saving” Languages Tell us About “Teaching” Languages?” Lecture presented at the Dialogue, Discourse and Diversity Conference , Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Association (AFMLTA), Sydney, July 9-13.
Marshall, Catherine, and Gretchen B. Rossman. 2006. Designing Qualitative Research. Thousands Oaks, California: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Neuman, Laurence W. 2011. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Nida, Eugene A. 1969. “Science of Translation.” Language Arts 451: 483–498. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Piazzoli, Erika. 2014. “Engagement as Perception-in-action in Process Drama for Teaching and Learning Italian as a Second Language.” International Journal of Language Studies 8 (2): 91–116.Google Scholar
Richards, Jack C., and Charles Lockhart. 1995. Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Selinker, Larry. 1985. “Wrestling with ‘Context’ in Interlanguage Theory.” Applied Linguistics 6 (2): 190–204. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Squires, Allison. 2009. “Methodological Challenges in Cross-language Qualitative Research: A Research Review.” International Journal of Nursing Studies 461: 277–287. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
St. André, James. 2009. “Relay Translation.” In Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, ed. by Mona Baker, and Gabriela Saldanha, 230–232. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Stinson, Madonna, and Joe Winston. 2011. “Drama Education and Second Language Learning: A Growing Field of Practice and Research.” Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance 16 (4): 479–488. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sutrisno, Agustian, Nga Thanh Nguyen, and Donna Tangen. 2013. “Incorporating Translation in Qualitative Studies: Two Case Studies in Education.” International Journal or Qualitative Studies in Education 27 (10): 1–17. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Swain, Merrill. 2006. “Languaging, Agency and Collaboration in Advanced Second Language Proficiency.” In Advanced Language Learning: The Contribution of Halliday and Vygotsky, ed. by Heidi Byrnes, 95–108. New York: Continuum.Google Scholar
Temple, Bogusia. 2002. “Crossed Wires: Interpreters, Translators, and Bilingual Workers in Cross-language Research.” Qualitative Health Research 12 (6): 844–854. DOI logo.Google Scholar
Temple, Bogusia, and Alys Young. 2004. “Qualitative Research and Translation Dilemmas.” Qualitative Research 4 (2): 161–178. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wong, Josephine P., and Maurice K. Poon. 2010. “Bringing Translation Out of the Shadows: Translation as an Issue of Methodological Significance in Cross-cultural Qualitative Research.” Journal of Transcultural Nursing 21 (2): 151–158. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by (7)

Cited by seven other publications

Fox, Claire, Jo Deakin, Jon Spencer & Necla Acik
2022. Encountering authority and avoiding trouble: Young migrant men’s narratives of negotiation in Europe. European Journal of Criminology 19:4 ► pp. 791 ff. DOI logo
Brown, Eleanor, Daibo Chen, Ian Davies, Angel Urbina Garcia & Isabel Munguia Godinez
2021. Educating young people about society in China, England, Mexico and Spain: similar approaches to values education from different contexts. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 51:4 ► pp. 529 ff. DOI logo
de Vos, Jaqueline & Bulelwa Nokele
2021. The role of translators in cross-language qualitative research in psychology. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 39:1 ► pp. 92 ff. DOI logo
Sidiropoulou, Maria
2020. Introduction. Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts 6:1 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Piazzoli, Erika
2018. Learner Engagement. In Embodying Language in Action, ► pp. 259 ff. DOI logo
Piazzoli, Erika
2018. Performative Research: Methodology and Methods. In Embodying Language in Action, ► pp. 225 ff. DOI logo
Kyriacou, Chris, Beatrice Szczepek Reed, Fatma Said & Ian Davies
2017. British Muslim university students’ perceptions of Prevent and its impact on their sense of identity. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice 12:2 ► pp. 97 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 20 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.