Posted by TILEd
4 November 2025Last month I briefly introduced the idea of ‘semi-structured interviews (SSI)‘ which are interviews guided by a minimal set of pre-designed ‘key’ questions. There are advantages with semi-structured interviews, which contrast with structured and unstructured alternatives. Compared to structured interviews, which follow a fixed set of questions, in a semi-structured interview I can adapt my questions to each participant. This flexibility has been essential in the UTILE project, since no-one follows the same path into translation, interpreting or language teaching. On the other hand, using a ‘framework’ of questions as a reference, in contrast with an unstructured approach, has also been important. Having a set of basic questions to build on has ensured that any improvised departure from the original plan, is still grounded in the clear purpose and theoretical framework of my research.