title: The bilingual researcher’s dilemmas: Reflexive approaches to translation issues

authors: Lee, Sherrie

subjects: Cross-cultural research; international students

abstract: Research conducted by English-speaking researchers about other language speaking subjects is essentially cross-cultural and often multilingual, particularly with qualitative research that involves participants communicating in languages other than English. In research using non-English data, scholars have noted that the translation process can be problematic, and is often glossed over. Thus, they call for greater transparency in accounting for translation decisions. This article is a reflexive account of the author’s doctoral research about international EAL (English as an Additional Language) students’ informal academic learning practices. Nine of the ten research participants were of Chinese ethnicity and, consequently, a substantial portion of the data collected was in Chinese.

I am a Chinese Singaporean who is bilingual in English and Chinese. I discuss the dilemmas faced when interpreting and translating data from the Chinese participants, each of whom had his or her own particular social and cultural backgrounds. The dilemmas I faced were related to i) immediate understanding of interview responses, ii) interview transcription for member checking, and iii) translation of data. I argue that these dilemmas can be resolved by member checking during data collection and analysis, and the use of professional translators. However, I also caution against an idealised notion of objective meaning in translation. I conclude that cross-cultural research should take into account the researcher’s cultural and language identity in understanding how data from research participants is represented.

text: The bilingual researcher’s dilemmas: Reflexive approaches to translation issues Research conducted by English-speaking researchers about other language speaking subjects is essentially cross-cultural and often multilingual, particularly with qualitative research that involves participants communicating in languages other than English. In research using non-English data, scholars have noted that the translation process can be problematic, and is often glossed over. Thus, they call for greater transparency in accounting for translation decisions. This article is a reflexive account of the author’s doctoral research about international EAL (English as an Additional Language) students’ informal academic learning practices. Nine of the ten research participants were of Chinese ethnicity and, consequently, a substantial portion of the data collected was in Chinese.

I am a Chinese Singaporean who is bilingual in English and Chinese. I discuss the dilemmas faced when interpreting and translating data from the Chinese participants, each of whom had his or her own particular social and cultural backgrounds. The dilemmas I faced were related to i) immediate understanding of interview responses, ii) interview transcription for member checking, and iii) translation of data. I argue that these dilemmas can be resolved by member checking during data collection and analysis, and the use of professional translators. However, I also caution against an idealised notion of objective meaning in translation. I conclude that cross-cultural research should take into account the researcher’s cultural and language identity in understanding how data from research participants is represented.

year: 2017

title: Geochemical zones and environmental gradients for soils from the central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica

authors: Diaz, Melisa A.

abstract: Previous studies have established links between biodiversity and soil geochemistry in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, where environmental gradients are important determinants of soil biodiversity. However, these gradients are not well established in the central Transantarctic Mountains, which are thought to represent some of the least hospitable Antarctic soils. We analyzed 220 samples from 11 ice-free areas along the Shackleton Glacier (∼ 85° S), a major outlet glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. We established three zones of distinct geochemical gradients near the head of the glacier (upper), its central part (middle), and at the mouth (lower). The upper zone had the highest water-soluble salt concentrations with total salt concentrations exceeding 80 000 μ g-1, while the lower zone had the lowest water-soluble N:P ratios, suggesting that, in addition to other parameters (such as proximity to water and/or ice), the lower zone likely represents the most favorable ecological habitats. Given the strong dependence of geochemistry on geographic parameters, we developed multiple linear regression and random forest models to predict soil geochemical trends given latitude, longitude, elevation, distance from the coast, distance from the glacier, and soil moisture (variables which can be inferred from remote measurements). Confidence in our random forest model predictions was moderately high with R2 values for total water-soluble salts, water-soluble N:P, ClO-4, and ClO-3 of 0.81, 0.88, 0.78, and 0.74, respectively. These modeling results can be used to predict geochemical gradients and estimate salt concentrations for other Transantarctic Mountain soils, information that can ultimately be used to better predict distributions of soil biota in this remote region.

text: Geochemical zones and environmental gradients for soils from the central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica Previous studies have established links between biodiversity and soil geochemistry in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, where environmental gradients are important determinants of soil biodiversity. However, these gradients are not well established in the central Transantarctic Mountains, which are thought to represent some of the least hospitable Antarctic soils. We analyzed 220 samples from 11 ice-free areas along the Shackleton Glacier (∼ 85° S), a major outlet glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. We established three zones of distinct geochemical gradients near the head of the glacier (upper), its central part (middle), and at the mouth (lower). The upper zone had the highest water-soluble salt concentrations with total salt concentrations exceeding 80 000 μ g-1, while the lower zone had the lowest water-soluble N:P ratios, suggesting that, in addition to other parameters (such as proximity to water and/or ice), the lower zone likely represents the most favorable ecological habitats. Given the strong dependence of geochemistry on geographic parameters, we developed multiple linear regression and random forest models to predict soil geochemical trends given latitude, longitude, elevation, distance from the coast, distance from the glacier, and soil moisture (variables which can be inferred from remote measurements). Confidence in our random forest model predictions was moderately high with R2 values for total water-soluble salts, water-soluble N:P, ClO-4, and ClO-3 of 0.81, 0.88, 0.78, and 0.74, respectively. These modeling results can be used to predict geochemical gradients and estimate salt concentrations for other Transantarctic Mountain soils, information that can ultimately be used to better predict distributions of soil biota in this remote region.

year: 2021

title: Mapping Māori knowledge from the past to inform marine management futures

authors: Paul-Burke, Kura

subjects: mātauranga Māori

abstract: This article provides an overview of research which used mātauranga moana (Māori marine knowledge systems) to inform and assist Western science field research methods and surveys. Place-based Māori marine knowledge identified the traditional distribution range and sizing of taonga (culturally important) species in traditional coastal areas which had been fished and managed by consecutive generations of Māori; kina, Evechinus chloroticus, sea urchin; koura, Jasus edwardsii, red rock lobster; kūtai, Perna canaliculus, green lipped mussel; and pāua, Haliotis iris, abalone. This knowledge was then mapped and used as the baseline for sub-tidal marine science field research surveys. Findings from the transdisciplinary marine research was used to develop management actions to assist Māori and Government entities for improving, enhancing and safeguarding marine taonga species into the future. This article critically discusses and demonstrates the relevance and complementarity of mātauranga Māori and Western science, and the importance of kaupapa Māori strategies for empowering Māori collaboration and voices in marine research co-development, implementation and communication.

text: Mapping Māori knowledge from the past to inform marine management futures This article provides an overview of research which used mātauranga moana (Māori marine knowledge systems) to inform and assist Western science field research methods and surveys. Place-based Māori marine knowledge identified the traditional distribution range and sizing of taonga (culturally important) species in traditional coastal areas which had been fished and managed by consecutive generations of Māori; kina, Evechinus chloroticus, sea urchin; koura, Jasus edwardsii, red rock lobster; kūtai, Perna canaliculus, green lipped mussel; and pāua, Haliotis iris, abalone. This knowledge was then mapped and used as the baseline for sub-tidal marine science field research surveys. Findings from the transdisciplinary marine research was used to develop management actions to assist Māori and Government entities for improving, enhancing and safeguarding marine taonga species into the future. This article critically discusses and demonstrates the relevance and complementarity of mātauranga Māori and Western science, and the importance of kaupapa Māori strategies for empowering Māori collaboration and voices in marine research co-development, implementation and communication.

year: 2020