Guidelines for reporting research data in an 'other' language
One of my publications is:
Taber, K. S. (2018). Lost and found in translation: guidelines for reporting research data in an 'other' language.Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 19, 646-652 doi:10.1039/C8RP90006J [Free access]
Contents:
- Languages and thinking
- Of pants and baps
- Translating between languages
- Translating technical writing
- Chemistry education research
- Collecting and analysing data in another language
- Reporting data in English
- Confusing manuscripts
- Guidelines for good practice in reporting translated material in research papers
"Consideration of these issues suggests some guidelines for good practice in preparing research papers.
(1) If a research paper only includes material in English, and there is no discussion of translation having occurred, a reader should be able to safely assume that the material was collected in English and no translation has taken place. Therefore, if the work reports from a context where English is not the local language or is unlikely to be considered by readers as the usual language
of instruction, this should be clarified for a reader (e.g., explaining that the work reports from an international school where the language of instruction is English).
(2) Therefore, whenever material included in a paper is a translation, this should be reported. It should be explicit which material has been translated, and which language(s) it has been translated from. It should be pointed out that translation may not always be a perfect process and nuances of the original may be lost in translation.
(3) Ideally the original text that has been translated should be included (i.e., in the original language), juxtaposed against the translation, or reported in an appendix … as seems most appropriate. Where both original and translated material is available, then readers of the original language will be able to consider the data in its original form, and bilingual readers will be able to evaluate the translation offered. Sharing the original text provides a means of quality assurance of translations made.
(4) The authors should report who translated the material, and their qualifications for doing so. Normally a translation should be made by someone with a high level of fluency in both languages, as well as close knowledge of the research context and the specific study.
(5) There should be some checks on the translation (in the way that data analysis usually has built in consistency checks or is tested for reliability), and these should be reported. For example, back translation can be used, and any inconsistencies subject to scrutiny; or there may be multiple translators producing material that is triangulated; or – at the very least – translations should be checked by another person fluent in both languages. By reporting on how translations were checked, as well as produced, the authors give those readers who cannot read the original language (which is often most of them) good grounds for having confidence in the translation.
When these steps are taken, editors, reviewers, and readers of the journal, are able to see that authors appreciate that translation requires care, and that the researchers have indeed taken due care in reporting translated material. An academic article makes knowledge claims that are supported by arguments based on the collection and interpretation of evidence, and readers have to be persuaded that all stages in the process have been carried out to a high standard.
The claims in an academic article are only as convincing as the weakest link in the chain of argument: whether that be framing of the project, research design, sampling, data collection procedures, analytical framework applied, analysis of data, interpretation of findings, implications drawn, or the processes of composing the report. So, when the authors are initially working in another language, this includes, inter alia, the processes of translating the argument of a research report into English, and the translation of any evidence being presented to support the argument made. Insufficient care or skills here can undermine the research paper as much as substandard work at any other point. Good practice in translation, and in reporting it, is part of good research."
[Free access] The full article (indeed, all articles in this journal) can be downloaded for free by anyone registering at the RSC journal website.
