Linguistic Challenges of Fieldwork for First-Generation Ethnic Researchers

Abstract

Language is a significant part of any fieldwork in cultural and cross-cultural qualitative research. With a growing number of 1.25-, 1.5- and second-generation children of immigrant families entering academia, many assume their bilingual proficiency helps them bypass translational and linguistic challenges. Based on my fieldwork experience, I am exploring the linguistic challenges of intragroup research. While I presumed my bilingualism in English and Farsi would help me build communal rapport during my fieldwork, I was surprised by my participants’ choice of broken English and refusal to complete their interview in Farsi. In this article, I argue that my positionality as a researcher and the intruding Anglo culture in the research process diminished my communal identity and intensified my hierarchical position. Upon assessing the linguistic challenges, I will make recommendations and suggestions to address similar challenges in the fieldwork.