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Article published In: Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts
Vol. 1:1 (2015) ► pp.80–102

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Translation in cross-language qualitative research

Pitfalls and opportunities

 | School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University
Published online: 30 March 2015
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ttmc.1.1.04pia
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.
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