Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Crossing language boundaries: Qualitative interviewing in international business

  • Published:
Management International Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the use of foreign languages in qualitative interviewing, an issue previously treated as a mere technical consideration and largely neglected in the monolingual, English-dominated environment of international business research.

Drawing on literature from linguistic anthropology and qualitative interviewing methodology, we provide a holistic view of foreign language use based on the experiences of 34 scholars from different countries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alvesson, M., Beyond Neopositivists, Romantics, and Localists: A Reflexive Approach to Interviews in Organizational Research, Academy of Management Review, 28, 1, 2003, pp. 13–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alvesson, M./ Deetz, S., Doing Critical Management Research, London: Sage 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, M., Against Good Advice: Reflections on Conducting Research in a Country Where You Don’t Speak the Language, Oral History Review, 20, 1, 1995, pp. 75–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ardener, E., Social Anthropology and Language, in M. Chapman (ed.), Edwin Ardener: The Voice of Prophecy and other Essays, Oxford: Blackwell 1989, pp. 134–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, P./ Silverman, D., Kundera’s Immortality: The Interview Society and the Invention of Self, Qualitative Inquiry, 3, 3, 1997, pp. 304–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Auer, P., Introduction, in Auer, P./ di Luzio, A. (eds.), The Contextualization of Language, Amsterdam: John Benjamins 1992, pp. 1–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolak, H. C., Studying One’s Own in the Middle East: Negotiating Gender and Self-Other Dynamics in the Field, in Hertz, R. (ed.), Reflexivity and Voice, Thousand Oaks: Sage 1997, pp. 95–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowler, I., Problems with Interviewing: Experiences with Service Providers and Clients, in Miller, G./ Dingwall, R. (eds.), Context and Method in Qualitative Research, London: Sage 1997, pp. 66–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradby, H., Translating Culture and Language: A Research Note on Multilingual Settings, Sociology of Health and Illness, 24, 6, 2002, pp. 842–855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broadfoot, P., Interviewing in a Cross-cultural Context: Some Issues for Comparative Research, in Poole, C. J./ Burgess, R. G. (eds.), Cross-Cultural Case Study, Studies in Qualitative Methodology, 6, New York: Elsevier 2000, pp. 53–65.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Brannen, M. Y., When Mickey Loses Face: Recontextualization, Semantic Fit, and the Semiotics of Foreignness, Academy of Management Review, 29, 4, 2004, pp. 593–616.

    Google Scholar 

  • Briggs, C. L., Learning How to Ask: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal of the Role of the Interview in Social Science Research, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavusgil, S. T./ Das, A., Methodological Issues in Empirical Cross-cultural Research: A Survey of the Management Literature and a Framework, Management International Review, 37, 1, 1997, pp. 71–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, M./ Gajewska-De Mattos, H./ Antoniou, C., The Ethnographic International Business Researcher: Misfit or Trailblazer?, in Marschan-Piekkari, R./ Welch, C. (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods for International Business, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar 2004, pp. 287–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, C. S./ Douglas, S. P., International Marketing Research, 2nd edition, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, J. D., Creative Interviewing, Beverly Hills: Sage 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duranti, A., Linguistic Anthropology, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duranti, A./ Goodwin, C. (eds.), Rethinking Context: Language as an Interactive Phenomenon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, R., A Critical Examination of the Use of Interpreters in the Qualitative Research Process, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 24, 1, 1998, pp. 197–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fontana, A./ Frey, J. H., The Interview: From Structured Questions to Negotiated Text, in Denzin, N. K./ Lincoln, Y. S. (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2nd edition, Thousand Oaks: Sage 2000, pp. 645–672.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harpaz, I., International Management Survey Research, in Punnett, B. J./ Shenkar, O. (eds.), Handbook for International Management Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell 1996, pp. 37–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A.-W. with 32 Country Collaborators, Does the Use of English-language Questionnaires in Cross-national Research Obscure National Differences?, International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 5, 2, 2005, pp. 213–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holstein, J. A./ Gubrium, J. F., The Active Interview, Thousand Oaks: Sage 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssens M./ Lambert, J./ Steyaert, C., Developing Language Strategies for International Companies: The Contribution of Translation Studies, Journal of World Business, 39, 4, 2004, pp. 414–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kvale, S., InterViews, Thousand Oaks: Sage 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langdridge, D., Introduction to Research Methods and Data Analysis in Psychology, Harlow: Prentice Hall 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marschan, R., New Structural Forms and Inter-Unit Communication in Multinationals: The Case of Kone Elevators, PhD thesis, Helsinki: Helsinki School of Economics Press 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marschan-Piekkari, R./ Reis, C., Language and Languages in Cross-Cultural Interviewing, in Marschan-Piekkari, R./ Welch, C. (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods for International Business, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar 2004, pp. 224–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, C./ Rossman, G. B., Designing Qualitative Research, 4th edition, Thousand Oaks: Sage 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishler, E. G., Research Interviewing: Context and Narrative, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  • Platt, J., On Interviewing One’s Peers, British Journal of Sociology, 32, 1, 1981, pp. 75–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robson, C., Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioner-Researchers, 2nd edition, Oxford: Blackwell 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossman, G. B./ Rallis, S. F., Learning in the Field: An Introduction to Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks: Sage 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, H. J./ Rubin, I. S., Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data, Thousand Oaks: Sage 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryen, A., Cross-cultural Interviewing, in Gubrium, J. F./ Holstein, J. A. (eds.), Handbook of Interview Research: Context and Method, Thousand Oaks: Sage 2002, pp. 335–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seidman, I., Interviewing as Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences, 2nd edition, New York: Teachers College Press 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherif, B., The Ambiguity of Boundaries in the Fieldwork Experience: Establishing Rapport and Negotiating Insider/Outsider Status, Qualitative Inquiry, 7, 4, 2001, pp. 436–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, D., Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction, 2nd edition, London: Sage 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spradley, J. P., The Ethnographic Interview, New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Temple, B./ Young, A., Qualitative Research and Translation Dilemmas, Qualitative Research, 4, 2, 2004, pp. 161–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsang, E. W. K., Mind Your Identity When Conducting Cross-National Research, Organization Studies, 19, 3, 1998, pp. 511–515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twinn, S., An Exploratory Study Examining the Influence of Translation on the Validity and Reliability of Qualitative Data in Nursing Research, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 26, 2, 1997, pp. 418–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Usunier, J.-C., International and Cross-Cultural Management Research, London: Sage 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Welch, C./ Marschan-Piekkari, R./ Penttinen, H./ Tahvanainen, M., Corporate Elites as Informants in Qualitative International Business Research, International Business Review, 11, 5, 2002, pp. 611–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson, I./ Young, L., Improvisation and Adaptation in International Business Research Interviews, in Marschan-Piekkari, R./ Welch, C. (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods for International Business, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar 2004, pp. 207–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, L. L., Qualitative International Management Research, in Punnett, B. J./ Shenkar, O. (eds.), Handbook for International Management Research, Cambridge: Blackwell 1996, pp. 63–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuckerman, H., Interviewing an Ultra-Elite, The Public Opinion Quarterly, 36, 2, 1972, pp. 159–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Business, Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland

    Rebecca Piekkari (Professor)

  2. School of Organisation and Management, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    Catherine Welch (Senior Lecturer)

Authors
  1. Catherine Welch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rebecca Piekkari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Welch, C., Piekkari, R. Crossing language boundaries: Qualitative interviewing in international business. MANAGE. INT. REV. 46, 417–437 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-006-0099-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-006-0099-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation