Language translation challenges with Arabic speakers participating in qualitative research studies

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Abstract

This paper discusses how a research team negotiated the challenges of language differences in a qualitative study that involved two languages. The lead researcher shared the participants’ language and culture, and the interviews were conducted using the Arabic language as a source language, which was then translated and disseminated in the English language (target language). The challenges in relation to translation in cross-cultural research were highlighted from a perspective of establishing meaning as a vital issue in qualitative research. The paper draws on insights gained from a study undertaken among Arabic-speaking participants involving the use of in-depth semi-structured interviews. The study was undertaken using a purposive sample of 15 participants with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and co-existing depression and explored their perception of self-care management behaviours. Data analysis was performed in two phases. The first phase entailed translation and transcription of the data, and the second phase entailed thematic analysis of the data to develop categories and themes. In this paper there is discussion on the translation process and its inherent challenges. As translation is an interpretive process and not merely a direct message transfer from a source language to a target language, translators need to systematically and accurately capture the full meaning of the spoken language. This discussion paper highlights difficulties in the translation process, specifically in managing data in relation to metaphors, medical terminology and connotation of the text, and importantly, preserving the meaning between the original and translated data. Recommendations for future qualitative studies involving interviews with non-English speaking participants are outlined, which may assist researchers maintain the integrity of the data throughout the translation process.

Introduction

The inherent complexities of language within cross-language studies have received significant attention in the literature (Squires, 2008), however few cross language studies have disseminated results with reference to the complexities encountered in language translation processes (Kirkpatrick and van Teijlingen, 2009). With an increasing number of scholars from the non-English speaking world being guided by English speaking researchers, the issue of language differences in cross-language research has implications for different disciplines, including the disciplines of Science and Health. To illustrate, a specific concept in one language may not have the same meaning in another language (Temple and Young, 2004). This can be problematic when a research project is underpinned by a qualitative research paradigm, requiring accuracy in interpreting the data within the cultural context, as effective translation is paramount to conveying the message of the participants. Throughout this paper, the term ‘cross-language research’ is used because of the focus of this paper on addressing translation challenges when moving between the Arabic language as a source language (SL), and the English language as a target language (TL) in health research.

In qualitative cross-language research, and particularly in relation to health care, the role of narratives are often sources of data (Bailey and Tilley, 2002). There is intense interest among qualitative researchers in exploring the ‘lived experiences’ of patients and associated population groups, and the impact of these experiences on health. At the same time, there has been an increase in research in healthcare settings on the provision of culturally sensitive care (Regmi et al., 2010). This research has been pivotal in elucidating understandings of health trends and differences among people from different communities and cultures. Despite the increasing use of cross-language research, little attention has been given to the influence of language differences and translation processes when working across languages.

Researchers can encounter difficulties with language translation at any stage of the research process, starting from the first phase of analysis through to the dissemination phase (Squires, 2009), particularly when interview data are translated into a vastly different language. This can occur, for instance, when research data need to be translated from non-English interviews to the English language (Twinn, 1997). The reliability of the translation process is critical to the integrity of the results as this can be threatened if there are inaccuracies, such as when the data are analysed using thematic translation in the research process, where the social context is an integral part of the data analysis (Twinn, 1997). Translators construct an image and represent the individuals in their text; the analysis process examines the data in the text. Thus, it is reasonable that the reliability of the results on cross-language research depends on the accuracy of the translation in the first place.

The Arabic language is one of the world's most commonly used languages, belonging to the Semitic language family. It is the mother tongue for 330 million speakers (CIA, 2010, Shaalan, 2010) and is the official language of 22 countries located in the Middle East and North Africa (Chejne, 1969). The Arabic language is also used by many people who constitute a growing population in Western communities: 210,000 in Australia (Al-Krenawi and Graham, 2000); 1.2 million in USA (De la Cruz, 2008); 350,000 in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2007); 2 million in France (Al-Krenawi and Graham, 2000); and 700,000 in UK (Miladi, 2006). It is the fundamental language for all who use Islam's holy book, the Qur’an, thus, it is a liturgical language for Muslims, constituting 24% of the world population (Kettani, 2010). Practising Muslims throughout the world use the Arabic language for prayers regardless of their native language (Kettani, 2010).

To date, little has been reported on how researchers in cross-language research-transform the data from the SL into the TL. In view of the scarcity of literature on cross-language research, and the wide use of Arabic language, it is crucial to bring to light the challenges encountered in studying Arabic speaking participants (Al-Amer et al., 2015), particularly in research when translation was necessary due to only the lead researcher in the team sharing the same language and cultural arena as the participants. The data for these interviews were collected in the Arabic language, and were transcribed into English as English was the common language for those in the research team. The Arabic language provided the raw source data for the study, and English transcriptions were used in disseminating the findings. In order to understand the complexities of the participants’ accounts, an understanding of the different features of the Arabic language was paramount.

Section snippets

Background

The Arabic language consists of three forms: classical-Arabic, Modern-Standard Arabic (MSA) and colloquial-Arabic. Classical Arabic language is the official language of the Arab world, and is fundamental to the reading of the Qur’an and seminal classical literature (Chejne, 1969, Gu, 2014). Classical Arabic has remained stable, intelligible and in practical usage for around 15 centuries; strategically, it is uniform throughout the Arab region and the primary written form. Whereas MSA (also

Challenges arising from the field

Conveying the same message between languages in cross-language research is often a laborious process (Al-Amer et al., 2014). Challenges frequently arise when researchers need to move between languages, or even between dialects. To date, most studies conducted using Arabic as a SL with the results disseminated in a different language (TL), have not discussed the issues of translation that can impact on the meaning of the data. For example, in a qualitative content analysis study that described

Language differences within cross-language research

Language challenges were evident throughout the analysis process and so consultation was required at different stages of the research process. These stages involved an initial interpretation phase (understanding metaphors and medical terminology), followed by translation of participants’ verbatim quotes. Challenges were encountered in the initial interpretation phase of the analysis process, and discussions were held with the international team as to how best convey the meaning of spoken

Translation of the verbatim quotes

Challenges can also occur when researchers provide thick descriptions to enhance understanding of specific phenomenon. Verbatim quotes are used to provide thick description in qualitative research. Using verbatim quotes is paramount to supporting the interpretation of a specific experience and in strengthening claims made by a researcher (Corden and Sainsbury, 2006), as this can bring the experience to life and personalise the results. Additionally, the narrative text that is written by the

Recommendations

The authors recommend that the quotes that are used to enhance the trustworthiness of the data are discussed with participants to ensure that the translated quotes convey the same meaning that was meant in Arabic and participants approve the manner in which their own words have been conveyed. Importantly, when translating a metaphor, the differences in the social context, cultural beliefs, and linguistic discourse among different Arabic speaking communities are often of significance, because

Conclusion

Although the study highlighted some differences between Arabic and English languages, these findings may not be applicable in other studies. The results suggest that if the use of translation is required in the qualitative data, ensuring the reliability of the translation process and maintaining the integrity of the data is paramount and the processes need to be addressed thoroughly. This, however, can present some challenges for cross-language researchers. The foremost of these is how to

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