To do anthropological fieldwork, do you have to travel to another country and speak another language?
Ans: Traditionally, anthropologists have studied nonindustrial, small-scale societies living in remote places and frequently speaking languages different from those of researchers. However, while that kind of fieldwork continues, a lot of anthropological fieldwork is now conducted in large, industrialized Western societies. Therefore, not all anthropological fieldwork requires long-distance travel or the knowledge of a foreign language.

Who pays for anthropological fieldwork?
Ans: Several different agencies fund anthropological fieldwork. Some agencies are part of the federal government, like the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Fulbright-Hays, and the Fulbright IIE, while other funding agencies are private non-profit organizations, like the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. Funding is not given out to everyone who asks for it. Researchers submit grant proposals that explain the questions to be investigated, where the field work will take place, what methods will be used to collect data, and why the researcher writing the proposal is well-suited to carry out the proposed research.