Tener Asistente?

I have been pondering a little bit about the transcribing process that I will have to go through in the field and all of the work that is required for it.  The article about transcription that I had found early did more than just re-assure me that I can live in Mexico for three months (though thank goodness it did that).  It also got me thinking more about the actual methods and process that I will undergo while I transcribe these interviews, and the idea has arisen- should I ask for help? Should I look for a part-time assistant to help me with the transcriptions?

As I have spoken with other students going on a Field Study this summer many of them have told me about how they will be requesting the use of, and recruiting the help of translators.  I don't need a translator, but it would be very useful to have someone, a local speaker, familiar with the accent and the language, to whom I could go to help me interpret the audio recordings of my interviews.

Of course, this brings up several questions, like, how much of this wonderful learning experience and opportunity for growth do I want to delegate to others?  How will I make sure that I don't become reliant upon a transcriber and do not take up too much of his or her time?  Where will I find such a person who is willing and capable to help?  How can I show reciprocity for the extra help?  How ethical would it be to incorporate another researcher into this project?  What parameters would I need to go through in order to approve a transcribing assistant.

I will attempt to answer the questions, though I will reserve the right to change my answers for the better in the future and the field.  I do not want to put off experiences that will help me grow and learn the Spanish language, entonces, I definitely don't want to delegate all my transcribing to another; perhaps I can have help with just difficult sections.  This would also be beneficial in making sure that I don't take up too much time from anyone that I ask help from; possibly I can find someone who is willing to help me once a week for an hour or two and I can just reserve the difficult passages for them to help me understand what has been said.  I could then pay for their dinner or something to show reciprocity for their help.  This shorter time commitment also opens up doors as to how many people might be able to help.  I'll probably first ask my host family if they know of anyone.  Ideally I could find someone who is an informant, who has an actual interest in the work that could help me listen to and transcribe my interviews.  As for registering my "assistant" or helper with the IRB to make sure that they can view the "raw data" (if this is even necessary) I can ask my mentor, Mark, if he knows anything about that, or at least who I could ask.

Wow, that seemed like a good thought-discussion with myself.  I certainly am getting more and more exited for this trip!

Benjamin