Museums play an important role in education and preserving cultural heritage. As such, it’s important that exhibits and educational programs are accessible to a wide range of people.
That’s why it’s so important to translate materials into multiple languages with a focus on not just accuracy, but considering the perspective and knowledge base of all visitors.
Context is a Key Part of Cultural Translation
Every culture has its own nuances, so when a museum attempts to explain history or cultural heritage to a different audience, the words matter. That’s true for native English speakers, but especially important when the audience speaks a different language or visits from another country.
Translating information about an exhibit must go beyond word-for-word translations, and ensure cultural context. Foreign visitors may not have the same historical perspective as someone raised in the US. Museum translations must be framed in a manner that make sense to everyone.
Creating a multilingual education experience is best done in conjunction with a language partner who will incorporate cultural sensitivity when translating:
- Exhibit signage
- Museum maps
- Teaching and educational resources
- Websites
- Audio tours
The Necessity of Language Diversity
Many American museums offer resources in English and Spanish, while the Smithsonian Institution provides museum maps in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German.
While their breadth of language resources is impressive, the US is one of the most culturally diverse languages in the world, with an estimated 350 languages spoken.
That creates a necessity to both understand the different audiences your museum wishes to address and have a partner flexible enough to provide translation and interpretation services for a wide variety of languages.
Going Beyond Signage
Understanding exhibit placards, museum maps and signage throughout the museum is important, but with space at a premium, it may be difficult to serve the needs of all visitors through printed translations.
Fortunately, electronic communications offer many options for a multilingual experience:
Audio Tours
Translation and audio recordings in multiple languages, allow visitors to have a personalized experience while touring exhibits.
Multilingual Subtitling
Expand the reach of your videos and educational programming through subtitles.
Translated Web Content
Whether you translate your whole website or specific pages and downloadable resources, your website can provide a wealth of support for your visitors.
Multilingual Signage with QR Codes
Having a multilingual welcome sign paired with QR codes can lead visitors to a web page in their native language to help them access the resources available.
Language Access Makes Understanding Possible
At Alboum, we work with museums and cultural institutions to make their educational programs accessible to visitors in more than 100 languages.
With affordable, flexible options, we can help you create a library of ready-to-use materials across multiple formats.
Reach out today to discuss how our translation services can support your organization.
