A Critical Reflection on the Use of Translators/Interpreters in a Qualitative Cross-Language Research Project

Berman, Rachel; Tyyskä, Vappu

doi:10.1177/160940691101000206

Cited by 66 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Other researchers have suggested that sharing a similar background helps participants build better rapport with the interviewers and increases the likelihood of discussing sensitive topics more openly [22]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overcoming language barriers in community-based research with refugee and migrant populations: options for using bilingual workers

Lee¹,

Sulaiman-Hill

Thompson

2014

BMC Int Health Hum Rights

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BackgroundAlthough the challenges of working with culturally and linguistically diverse groups can lead to the exclusion of some communities from research studies, cost effective strategies to encourage access and promote cross-cultural linkages between researchers and ethnic minority participants are essential to ensure their views are heard and their health needs identified. Using bilingual research assistants is one means to achieve this. In a study exploring alcohol and other drug service use by migrant women in Western Australia, bilingual workers were used to assist with participant recruitment and administration of a survey to 268 women who spoke more than 40 different languages.DiscussionProfessional interpreters, bilingual students, bilingual overseas-trained health professionals and community sector bilingual workers were used throughout the research project. For the initial qualitative phase, professional interpreters were used to conduct interviews and focus group sessions, however scheduling conflicts, inflexibility, their inability to help with recruitment and the expense prompted exploration of alternative options for interview interpreting in the quantitative component of the study. Bilingual mature-age students on work placement and overseas-trained health professionals provided good entry into their different community networks and successfully recruited and interviewed participants, often in languages with limited interpreter access. Although both groups required training and supervision, overseas-trained health professionals often had existing research skills, as well as understanding of key issues such as confidentiality and referral processes. Strategies to minimise social desirability bias and the need to set boundaries were discussed during regular debriefing sessions. Having a number of workers recruiting participants also helped minimise the potential for selection bias. The practical and educational experience gained by the bilingual workers was regarded as capacity building and a potentially valuable community resource for future health research projects.SummaryThe use of bilingual workers was key to the feasibility and success of the project. The most successful outcomes occurred with students and overseas-trained health professionals who had good community networks for recruitment and the required linguistic skills. By describing the advantages and disadvantages encountered when working with bilingual workers, we offer practical insights to assist other researchers working with linguistically diverse groups.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overcoming language barriers in community-based research with refugee and migrant populations: options for using bilingual workers

Lee¹,

Sulaiman-Hill

Thompson

2014

BMC Int Health Hum Rights

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“…These outcomes included relevant research development and effective participant recruitment (Halkoaho et al, 2016;Liamputtong, 2008;Spector, 2012;Wallin & Ahlström, 2006), advocacy of the research on the value of the project to the broader community (Lee, Sulaiman-Hill, & Thompson, 2014;Spector, 2012), and guidance with language and cultural sensitivities (Berman & Tyyskä, 2011;Lantz, Viruell-Fuentes, Israel, Softley, & Guzman, 2001;Lee, Sulaiman-Hill, & Thompson, 2014). Of specific importance to our project, the brokers already knew each participant through their service provider-client relationships.…”

Section: Positive Outcomes Of Working With the Brokersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences in Broker-Facilitated Participatory Cross-Cultural Research

Kowal

Bubela

Jardine

2017

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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Health researchers are increasingly using community-based participatory research approaches because of the benefits accrued through ongoing community engagement. The documentation of our research partnership highlights key ethical and analytical challenges researchers face in participatory research, particularly in projects partnering with service providers or cultural brokers in cross-cultural settings. In this article, we describe how choices made to accommodate a participatory research approach in the examination of vaccination behavior impacted the process and outcomes of our qualitative inquiries. First, we found that employing multiple interviewers influenced the breadth of discussion topics, thus reducing the ability to achieve saturation in small study populations. This was mitigated by (a) having two people at each interview and (b) using convergent interviewing, a technique in which multiple interviewers discuss and include concepts raised in interviews in subsequent interviews to test the validity of interview topics. Second, participants were less engaged during the informed consent process if they knew the interviewer before the interview commenced. Finally, exposing identity traits, such as age or immigration status, before the interview affected knowledge cocreation, as the focus of the conversation then mirrored those traits. For future research, we provide recommendations to reduce ethical and analytical concerns that arise with qualitative interview methods in participatory research. Specifically, we provide guidance to ensure ethical informed consent processes and rigorous interview techniques.

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“…The interpreters made it possible to communicate with study participants (Squires, 2008), served as cultural ambassadors (Berman, 2011;Edwards, 1998;Hennings, Williams, & Haque, 1996;Shklarov, 2007), and organized logistics for travel and interview locations.…”

Section: Finding An Interpreter: the Partnership Beginsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Working in Partnership With Interpreters

Harris

Boggiano

Nguyen³

et al. 2013

Qual Health Res

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This article brings together two American qualitative researchers and two Vietnamese interpreters who investigated the social impacts of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam from the standpoint of the local community. As cultural outsiders with limited Vietnamese language skills, the researchers relied on the insights and expertise of the interpreters to the extent that interpreter roles expanded to become co-researchers. We explain the guidelines we used to work in partnership in the field. We then describe how the relationship between researcher and interpreter developed into co-researching, and how we utilized this relationship to respond to challenges in the work. Despite an increasing number of international qualitative studies, little research has focused on the nuances of a working partnership between researcher and interpreter, and few studies include interpreters as co-researchers. This article contributes to an understanding of how the researcher-interpreter relationship impacts the voice of the participant and, ultimately, the final outcomes of the project.

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A Critical Reflection on the Use of Translators/Interpreters in a Qualitative Cross-Language Research Project

Cited by 66 publications

References 24 publications

Overcoming language barriers in community-based research with refugee and migrant populations: options for using bilingual workers

Overcoming language barriers in community-based research with refugee and migrant populations: options for using bilingual workers

Experiences in Broker-Facilitated Participatory Cross-Cultural Research

Working in Partnership With Interpreters

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