For people living with schizophrenia, their experience is personal and culturally bound. Focused ethnography enables researchers to understand people’s experiences in-context, a prerequisite to providing person-centered care. Data are gathered through observational fieldwork and in-depth interviews with cultural informants. Regardless of the culture, ethnographic research involves resolving issues of language, communication, and meaning. This article discusses the challenges faced by a bilingual, primary mental health nurse researcher when investigating the experiences of people living with schizophrenia in Zimbabwe. Bilingual understanding influenced the research questions, translation of a validated survey instrument and interview transcripts, analysis of the nuances of dialect and local idioms, and confirmation of cultural understanding. When the researcher is a bilingual cultural insider, the insights gained can be more nuanced and culturally enriched. In cross-language research, translation issues are especially challenging when it involves people with a mental illness and requires researcher experience, ethical sensitivity, and cultural awareness.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	bilingual research, cross-language research, focused ethnography, language translation, mental health nursing, health research, qualitative research, schizophrenia, Zimbabwe
Research Division:	Health Sciences
Research Group:	Nursing
Research Field:	Mental health nursing
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Provision of health and support services
Objective Field:	Mental health services
UTAS Author:	Chidarikire, S (Dr Shep Chidarikire)
UTAS Author:	Cross, M (Dr Merylin Cross)
UTAS Author:	Cleary, M (Professor Michelle Cleary)
ID Code:	124512
Year Published:	2018
Web of Science® Times Cited:	11
Deposited By:	Health Sciences
Deposited On:	2018-02-23
Last Modified:	2019-11-21
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