This document summarizes the challenges faced by Sherrie Lee, a bilingual researcher from Singapore, in conducting research interviews in Mandarin with other Chinese participants. Some of the key challenges included navigating assumptions that as a bilingual researcher she had direct access to cultural groups, and dealing with her dual role as both researcher and translator. Her strategies to address these challenges included taking notes in English and key ideas in Chinese during interviews, balancing rapport building with seeking clarification, alternating between insider and outsider positions, and using various validation methods like member checking and transcribing interviews in English for efficiency.

1. A Chinese researching other Chinese
Problematizing the bilingual researcher
Sherrie Lee
University of Waikato
NZASIA Conference 28 Nov 2017

2. 1
Biography
Research Context
Challenges
Strategies
Conclusion

3. Singaporean Chinese | Chinese Singaporean
2
Biography
§ 3rd generation Singaporean – ancestors
were from the southern part of China
§ Singaporean first, Chinese second
§ Grew up in an English-speaking family, spoke
a Chinese dialect with older relatives
§ English is the lingua franca of the multi-
ethnic country

4. Singaporean Chinese | Chinese Singaporean
3
Biography
§ Learnt Chinese as a second language in
school for assessment purposes
§ Later on in life used Chinese more
competently in various social circles
§ My own family uses both English & Chinese

5. 4
Research Context
§ Non-native English speakers
§ 9 of 10 participants were Chinese
§ China: 7,Taiwan: 1, Malaysia: 1, Japan: 1
International Students in NZ

6. 5
Research Context
Regular interviews over one semester
§ Participants decided whether to use English or
Mandarin during interviews
Observations or records of brokering
§ Face-to-face interactions in Mandarin
§ Text messages in Chinese
Data Collection

7. § Bilingual perceived to have direct access to target
cultural groups (Temple, 2006)
§ Underestimates broad variations within ethnic
groups (Shklarov, 2007)
§ Translation done by bilingual researchers may be
ethically ambiguous since they take on a dual role
of researcher-translator who interprets/translates
their own research findings (Shklarov, 2007)
6
Assumptions of Cross-Cultural Research
Challenges

8. 7
TranslationReflexivity
(Finaly, 2002)
Strategies

9. 8
§ Notes in English and key words or ideas
in Chinese
§ Balance between building rapport and
seeking clarification
§ Alternate between insider and outsider
positions
Active Listening
Strategies

10. 9
§ Transcribing Mandarin in Chinese was
not time-efficient
§ Process of translanguaging
“…making meaning, shaping experiences, gaining
understanding and knowledge through the use of
two languages…” (Lewis, Jones, & Baker, 2012, p. 641)
§ Transcribed text in English
Transcribing
Strategies

11. 10
§ Transcriptions of interviews
§ Vocabulary used between participants
§ Meaning of emoji in text messages
Member Checking
Strategies

12. 11
Being a Reflexive Researcher
Conclusion
§ Bilingual/diasporic researchers use personal
resources
§ Translation is inherently partial
§ Validity and accuracy through different
methods

13. 12
TheDiasporicAcademic.wordpress.com
SHERRIE LEE Twitter @orangecanton

14. Finlay, L. (2002).“Outing” the researcher:The provenance, process, and practice of reflexivity.
Qualitative Health Research, 12(4), 531–545. http://doi.org/10.1177/104973202129120052
Lewis, G., Jones, B., & Baker, C. (2012).Translanguaging: Origins and development from school to
street and beyond. Educational Research and Evaluation, 18(7), 641–654.
http://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2012.718488
Shklarov, S. (2007). Double vision uncertainty:The bilingual researcher and the ethics of cross-
language research. Qualitative Health Research, 17(4), 529–538.
http://doi.org/10.1177/1049732306298263
Srivastava, P. (2006). Reconciling multiple researcher positionalities and languages in international
research. Research in Comparative and International Education, 1(3), 210.
http://doi.org/10.2304/rcie.2006.1.3.210
Temple, B. (2006). Being bilingual: Issues for cross-language research. Journal of Research Practice,
2(1),Article M2. Retrieved from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/20/39
13
References