Dear Susan
I was very interested to read your email. I carried out semi-structured
interviews with an interpreter for my PhD work in Bangladesh. We started
initially using a standard model where everything was translated through
the interpreter to me but then, like you, moved to a model where the
interpreter carried out the bulk of the interview herself. This had the
advantage of keeping the flow of the interview without pauses and
disruptions for translation. The potential disadvantage is that as a
researcher you are more removed from the interaction and have less control
over the course of the interview.
Following my work we wrote up a case study which presents two models of
working with an interpreter in qualitative research and reflects on some
of the issues which arose when using them. This may be of interest to you
and will hopefully provide some more references for you.
Pitchforth E, van Teijlingen E. International public health research
involving interpreters: a case study from Bangladesh. BMC Public Health
2005 5:71. You can access freely online http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-
2458/5/71
Hope this is of some help.
Best wishes
Emma
Dr Emma Pitchforth
Lecturer in Social Science and Health
Department of Health Sciences
**Please note my new contact details:
University of Leicester
2nd floor, Adrian Building
University Road
Leicester LE1 7RH
Tel: +44 (0)116 2297261
Fax: +44 (0)116 2297250
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http://www.hs.le.ac.uk/
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