Double Vision Uncertainty

Translation is a significant factor in cross-language research and can make an overarching impact on research outcomes and ethical adequacy. In this article, the author examines ethical considerations of language translation and interpretation in human science research. The focus is narrowed to ethical aspects of research design in which a bilingual researcher assumes a double role, as an interpreter and translator in his or her inquiry with monolingual, non-English-speaking research participants. The bilingual researcher has a great advantage of expertise and clear vision in the cross-cultural ethical environment. However, such clarity of the ethical vision can cause many reasonable doubts, because it might not fully fit into the framework of standardized, rational ethics. The author shows that the dualism of the bilingual researcher's position can either induce caution or carry solutions, but both aspects of this role contribute to its essential significance for good cross-cultural knowledge exchange.