Researcher Positionality and AI-Mediated Knowledge Production in Multilingual Qualitative Research

Researcher positionality is conventionally discussed in relation to access, rapport, power and interpretation during qualitative fieldwork. Yet the researcher’s situated knowledge also shapes what happens after interviews have ended, particularly when automated systems convert speech into analytical text. Drawing on reflexive examination of doctoral fieldwork in Côte d’Ivoire from 02 to 24 April 2026 and the processing of 24 French-language interview files, this article examines how linguistic competence, cultural familiarity, professional knowledge and institutional location influence the recognition and correction of machine-generated transcription and translation errors. It proposes technologically mediated positionality as a way of examining how researchers’ situated capacities are enacted through encounters with digital outputs. The argument is not that AI replaces human interpretation, nor that insider knowledge guarantees fidelity, but that transcription and translation are consequential sites of knowledge production requiring explicit reflexive accountability. The article outlines implications for multilingual qualitative research, representation and methodological transparency.