Challenges of translating qualitative management data

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges of translating qualitative data from Arabic to English within the field of gender and management studies. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a real experience of translating qualitative data from Arabic to English within the management area in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from interviewing female managers working in the Saudi public sector. Findings Translating qualitative data from Arabic to English is not a straightforward process. During the translation of this cross-cultural qualitative research, three challenges were faced: the embeddedness of the language meaning in the culture, positionality and its influence on data production and language differences. The study found that, in absence of a standard way for translating cross-linguistic qualitative research, a combination of methods is found to be useful to increase the validity and reliability of the study findings. Researchers who conduct qualitative insider research and who translate their own data are in a better position to do cross-language data analysis. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by showing that translating Arabic texts regarding gender, management and leadership is embedded within historical, cultural, political and institutional contexts, requiring a deep understanding of both language and culture to produce a depth of knowledge. Also, the novelty of this study is that it highlights the importance of being an insider qualitative researcher and translating the research data, as researcher offers significant opportunities for close attention to certain points in the text; and this could add value to the analysis as a way to establish validity of interpretations.