Challenges of translation in research writing

A topic in research methodology

Why translation is necessary

The language of instruction varies from country to country. In many countries students are primarily taught in a local language. So, researchers who prepare teaching materials, assessments, questionnaires or interview schedules to use in research will do this in the local language.

Read about collecting and analysing data in another language

But most of the international research journals recognised as being of highest status publish in in just a handful of languages. Most commonly the required language for publishing research in good journals is English.

A thesis submitted to a British (or Australian, Canadian, etc.) University would normally have to be written in English, even if the student is reporting work undertaken in the local language of an overseas research context (or working with a minority community in their preferred language).

Therefore, researchers who undertake enquiry in one language context and need or wish to report in another will need to translate research materials and data.

Common problems in research writing reporting work from another language

There are two common flaws in research reports in these circumstances

  • authors assume that translation is unproblematic, and that they can substitute a text in one language for another and assume the two are entirely equivalent
  • and sometimes do not even feel it necessary to report that the data they are presenting have been translated form another language

"It is common for [journals] to receive submissions from national contexts where English is not a language regularly used by most people, that include materials from the research context that are in English. If taken at face value, it appears students have been asked to read teaching materials prepared in English, or asked to answer a written instrument with items in English, or have been observed speaking English in class, or have been interviewed in English." (Taber, 2018)

Read guidelines for good practice when translating material for research reports

Why there is an issue: language and thinking

"A natural language, like Spanish or English, provides a particular set of resources for communicating. Moreover, language is also a major tool for thinking. Human beings do not need language to think, but once they acquire language they are able to think in much more powerful ways…each language is unique….Each language develops its own idioms – which may come into, and go out of, common usage. Each language offers its own nuanced meanings for terms (which are not in any case entirely static, as word meanings are always in flux to some extent). So, each language is a unique resource for thinking, and for communicating…

Language provides affordances for thinking, and also puts a limit on how we can think in verbal terms. It has been suggested that bilingualism (or multilingualism) can offer alternative sets of thinking resources, such that switching languages can sometimes facilitate thinking not otherwise readily available in a first language." (Taber, 2018)

The nature of translation

"This means that translation is not an algorithmic process of taking text in one language and converting it to text in a different language: along the lines that if I find this word or phrase, I substitute this otherword or phrase. …Sometimes, in practice, finding a clearly parallel translation may be straightforward: but it cannot be assumed that a 'correct' (or 'best') translation always has precisely the 'same' meaning as the original text, or even that there is always one clear best way of translating particular text that different experts would agree should be adopted. Sometimes there may be no clearly 'correct' translation from one language to another.

This may become especially apparent when the original text contains idioms that are common and well understood in the source language, but which have no direct equivalent in the target language…If the intended meanings of idioms may not be clear in translation, it is equally possible that a literal translation of a mundane phrase may actually have associations in the target language that were not present in the source." (Taber, 2018)

The challenge of idioms

Each language develops its own idioms – which may come into, and go out of, common usage.

"Sometimes there may be no clearly 'correct' translation from one language to another. This may become especially apparent when the original text contains idioms that are common and well understood in the source language, but which have no direct equivalent in the target language." (Taber, 2018)

It is all suasage to me

"Einstein later wrote of the need to take measurements 'ist mir Wurst', a German phrase which translates literally as 'is sausage to me', but carries the meaning 'I couldn't care less about it."

Clegg, 2015

Reporting translation

" Translation is part of the methodology of undertaking and reporting research, and adds a further stage of processing where quality assurance is needed. … translation introduces an additional step between the raw data and its interpretation – whether that interpretation is by an analyst working with translated material, or by reader of a research paper being presented with translation of the material that was analysed in the study." (Taber, 2018)

So, translation needs to be reported as part of the methodology of a study that includes translated material.

Read guidelines for good practice when translating material for research reports

Source cited:

My introduction to educational research:

Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

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