Learning Journal 14

We watched a video in class Monday about a kid who went on field study one summer with the intention of studying entimology ( I want to say it was somewhere in Africa but I'm not positive). In order to complete his study of insects and the like, he was conducting interviews with the people there. He was frustrated, however, to find that when speaking the word 'insect' in the countries native tongue he recieved many answers such as 'chicken', or 'mouse'. These, as you and I both know, are not insects. This kid experienced quite a language barrier that made his project difficult to thoroughly study. He realized that what may mean 'insect' to us as Americans does not necessarily translate to the same thing in the language of the country he was in. I feel that, language, more so than culture, can be a bigger difficulty in conducting effective interviews while in the host country. How valid can the information you have gathered really be if the language was not translated correctly? I feel lucky that many people in Tonga are capable of speaking English, though that doesn't eliminate this barrier entirely.

In class Monday we discussed interviewing people and the different tactics you can use as well as the difficulties that come along with it. As discussed above there is definitely the task of overcoming language, but there is also being self-aware and conscious of the peoples' cutlure and customs. What is and what isn't appropriate to say or do, who would be an appropriate person to approach and who should you leave alone or avoid. We discussed the idea of 'rapport', of building a trust with the people you are trying to glean information from. You are more likely to get more research done if you are trusted. I have seen this in my own life, as I personally am reluctant to give up information or relate personal stories to people who I don't know and who seem to care only about what I can tell them and not about me as a person. I know what when I am conducting interviews I will be breaching sensitive topics and therefore must be tactful about the way I go about it. Being brash and straightforward is definitely not the way to do it. But building a solid rapport with the people, letting them understand that I am a friend and not going to hurt them, that will be the most beneficial.

As I continue to prepare for my field study to Tonga I plan on honing my language and interviewing skills so that I won't be completely a fish out of water when in Tonga, doing it all for real.