Researching Multilingually: Some Challenges and Complexities from Different Disciplines (CTIS Seminar, 7

th March 2013) Jane Andrews (The University of the West of England) Richard Fay (The University of
Manchester) on behalf also of …. Prue Holmes (Durham University) Mariam Attia (The University of
Manchester) http://researchingmultilingually.com Project funded by the AHRC as part of the Translating
Cultures strand (project ref. no. AH/J005037/1)

2 The Research Network (1) 1.Background to our interest in researching multilingually 2.Our AHRC
research network 3.Some illustrative case studies 4.Policy implications 5.Pedagogic implications Initial
Encounters Exploratory Seminar (Durham 2010) AHRC Networking Project (2012)

3 The Research Network (2) Research Theme - Translating Cultures … translation is an essential tool in
ensuring that languages, values, beliefs, histories and narratives can be mutually shared and
comprehended. We need to consider not only the complex mechanisms of translating one language into
another, but also more broadly how cultural exchange and transmission functions in a variety of
circumstances and periods, including communication and miscommunication, multiculturalism,
toleration and migration. http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/translatingcultures. aspx

4 Our Research Network Objectives 1.examine the experiences of researchers in translating, interpreting,
and writing up collected and generated data (dialogic, mediated, virtual, textual) from one language to
another; 2.explore ethical issues in the representation of data across more than one language; 3.identify
methods and techniques that improve processes of researching multilingually; and 4.develop
recommendations and guidelines for researching multilingually that can be implemented by all
researchers, and research training programmes.

5 Case Study 1 (Polishing the translations) Ana Beaven (2012) Methodological issues concerning research
on plurilingual online communication. Paper presented at a seminar on Researching Multilingually, 25 th
-26 th April, University of the West of England, UK. Research focus:Modern foreign languages, study
abroad experience Languages:Italian and English Data source:Italian / UK students online interactions
Researcher background:Fluency in Italian and English

6 Themes relating to opportunities and challenges during the process of researching: Meeting the
requirements of PhD research – where to put the Italian texts? How to use footnotes? Researcher
professionalism leading to action – Ana returned to her data whilst writing to polish the translations, she
consulted her sister Researcher responsibility to her participants – Ana was concerned with how she
represented the voices of her research participants given the communicative affordances of online
communication – fluidity of communication

7 Case Study 2 (this is just the consent form) Kyra Pollitt (2012) No this isnt the data analysis: this is just
the consent form: researching in two languages and two modalities Paper presented at a seminar on
Researching Multilingually, 25 th -26 th April, University of the West of England, UK. Research focus:Deaf
Studies, collaborative research with deaf researchers Languages:British sign language and standard
written and spoken English Data source:researcher and participant researcher interactions Researcher
background:Fluency in BSL & standard written and spoken English

8 Case Study 2 Themes relating to institutional constraints encountered during the research processes:
Tensions – institutional requirements relating to ethics/informed consent presumed and prioritised
written and oral processes over visual / multimodal methods Communications preferences of
participants would be visual – challenge of archiving this form of consent Technological barriers to
producing visual consent forms – it is possible but not expected or planned for – not the norm

9 Case Study 3 (researcher agency) Mariam Attia (2012) Reflective practice in research undertaken
multilingually Paper presented at a seminar on Researching Multilingually, 25 th -26 th April, University
of the West of England, UK. Research focus:Teacher education in context of Arabic teaching in Egypt
Languages:Arabic, English Data source:qualitative data, analysed through a software package Researcher
background:multilingual researcher fluent in Danish, Arabic, English, expertise in educational
technologies

10 Case Study 3 Potential constraints faced during the research process: Software package in use
presumed English language texts would be input and analysed/coded using Roman script Researcher
agency – Mariam questioned this assumption – why analyse in English? Why translate before analysing?
Why code in English? Approach to software company opened up a dialogue following which the facility
for inputting data in additional scripts was added Researcher agency challenged the norm embedded
within packages providing technological support for dealing with qualitative data

11 Case Study 4 Olga Campbell Thomson (2012) Alignment of tandem language data in an English
language thesis. Paper presented at a seminar on Researching Multilingually, 25 th -26 th April,
University of the West of England, UK. Research focus:language education in Northern Cyprus, national
identity construction within texts and discourses Languages:Turkish, English Data source:interviews in
Turkish, textbooks in Turkish Researcher background:a multilingual researcher with experience of
working in different educational and linguistic environments