IPHS researcher, Sandra Jumbe, has blog on depression in Malawi published on LIDC website.
Primary fieldwork poses many stumbling blocks, from transport and weather conditions, to political landscape and cultural differences, and it wouldn’t be wrong to presume that language barriers, in an increasingly globalised world, are less of a problem. However even when overseas research is carried out by a bilingual team, not everything translates easily.
Sandra Jumbe, IPHS Researcher, has faced this exact challenge in her research focused on mental health attitudes and understanding in Malawi. Despite Sandra being fluent in both English and Chichewa (the official language in Malawi), she found it difficult to translate words such as anxiety and depression. Sandra has written a blog post for LIDC, in which she explains some of her research and follows her process in translating such feelings and concepts that do not directly translate into Chichewa.
"Words – they define us and help us to express how we feel. So, what if there are no right words attached to a particular condition or experience? We can become lost and unable to clearly understand what we’re going through. This is something I have been exploring more recently whilst conducting my research with Millennium University on youth mental health literacy in Malawi. The project involves delivering workshops to university students so that they can better understand what mental health is, but it is also a way to promote mental health by encouraging young people and their peers to talk more about the issue and seek necessary support. The hope is that this approach will reduce stigma around mental health in the society."
Read the full blog post at LIDC.