informators

Informators refer to individuals who provide information to researchers, authorities, or organizations. The exact sense of the term varies by field. In ethnography, anthropology, and linguistics, informators are members of the study population who share knowledge about language, culture, or social practices with fieldworkers. They may supply vocabulary, speech samples, narratives, or descriptions of customs. The reliability of information depends on rapport, social position, and context; ethical considerations include informed consent, fair compensation, and avoiding harm or coercion. In practice, informators are often described as informants in English, while the form informator appears in some languages and historical sources.

In intelligence or law enforcement contexts, informators—sometimes called sources or confidential informants—provide information to authorities about individuals, organizations, or activities. These informants may operate openly or covertly, and information often requires verification. Reliability, bias, incentive structures, and safety are central concerns, as is the management of trust and confidentiality.

In historical or cross-cultural literature, informators have been discussed as actors who transmit knowledge about a group to outside researchers, sometimes shaping interpretations. The term remains less common in contemporary English than informant, but appears in multilingual and historical texts.

See also: informant; informant (ethnography).