BACKGROUND: The literature concerning interpretation in research primarily concentrates on rigorous techniques to eliminate bias. This article analyses other significant issues that arise when interpreters participate in research. MATERIAL: Empirical examples are drawn from a research project concerning mental ill health in a multicultural neighbourhood. DISCUSSION: Interpreters influence interview data in ways commonly unnoticed by researchers. One often-overlooked factor is that languages are dynamic and interpreters are not instruments. CONCLUSION: Research conducted with an interpreter is a complex undertaking. Solely relying on checklists to improve methodological rigour can result in a false sense of the material's validity.
BACKGROUND: The literature concerning interpretation in research primarily concentrates on rigorous techniques to eliminate bias. This article analyses other significant issues that arise when interpreters participate in research. MATERIAL: Empirical examples are drawn from a research project concerning mental ill health in a multicultural neighbourhood. DISCUSSION: Interpreters influence interview data in ways commonly unnoticed by researchers. One often-overlooked factor is that languages are dynamic and interpreters are not instruments. CONCLUSION: Research conducted with an interpreter is a complex undertaking. Solely relying on checklists to improve methodological rigour can result in a false sense of the material's validity.
Authors: Adrian P Mundt; Marion C Aichberger; Thomas Kliewe; Yuriy Ignatyev; Seda Yayla; Hannah Heimann; Meryam Schouler-Ocak; Markus Busch; Michael Rapp; Andreas Heinz; Andreas Ströhle Journal: Community Ment Health J Date: 2012-12