Coding and Translating: Language as a Heuristic Apparatus

In this chapter, after a necessary premise about the hegemonic role of English language within the international scientific community of qualitative researchers, I will focus on the advantages that this cultural hegemony offers to non-native English speakers. After having briefly developed my theoretical framework in dealing with translation, I will develop my argument along two main lines: Firstly, I will argue that translation can play a key role not only in the interpretation of data but also in the analytic process. This is possible when one considers the very nature of translation which has some similarities with the GTM analytic process. Secondly, I will highlight the benefits of coding in different languages. A few concrete examples are provided to illustrate some practical coding strategies that can be practised to benefit from the use of a language other than the researcher's mother tongue.