In cross-language qualitative management research, translating data is often viewed as a mechanical act – time consuming, but unproblematic. This is especially true when translation is approached through the so-called equivalence paradigm, wherein it is assumed that the meaning originally encoded in another language can be reconstructed in English. However, theory from translation studies – which would seem to have robust insights into translation – does not support this view. Instead, equivalence is essentially impossible, as all acts of translation fundamentally alter meaning. Critically though, ‘shifts’ in meaning are not random, but are as a result of the choices a translator makes. Recognizing this, translation moves from a mere mechanical act to a core methodological decision which shapes not only the English-language data, but also what a paper can robustly theorize. Building on this, our paper has two main contributions. First, we integrate insights from translation studies into the literature on qualitative theory-method fit to develop a fit-based approach to making translation choices. Second, we show how using more diverse translation approaches – notably foreignization – can help management scholars develop theory in some of the field’s priority areas, especially about understudied phenomena in the Global South.
