Open AccessTranslating Interviews, Translating Lives: Ethical Considerations in Cross-Language Narrative Inquiry
Author(s) -
Li Yi
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
tesl canada journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1925-8917
pISSN - 0826-435X
DOI - 10.18806/tesl.v28i0.1079
Subject(s) - narrative , happening , qualitative research , narrative inquiry , process (computing) , linguistics , psychology , sociology , pedagogy , computer science , social science , art , philosophy , performance art , art history , operating system
Through two narrative inquiries, in this article I explore the challenges for qualitative researchers in working with multiple languages in capturing, translating, analyzing, and representing narratives. I discuss the effect on research when we engage in these processes considering what was happening as we translated both texts and experience from one language into another. Woven into this discussion is attention to the effect that choosing one language or another might have on our research: the participants, the processes, and the findings. I consider how to remain awake to the ethical and relational issues regarding language choices that we make at every step of the research process.