Translation for museums can be a daunting task, especially if like many American museums, you’re “going bilingual”! Translation is often considered part of a museum’s efforts to reach a wider audience. But it is not always approached methodically, with a strategic mindset. Instead, it is usually perceived as an added bonus, or an extra task […]
Accessibility gone wrong: when museums fail to deliver
Accessibility is always a hot topic, especially in the cultural sector, where museums and other institutions have been required to provide for different types of audiences over the years. Today, I’m interviewing a museum professional to learn more about this fascinating field. Naomi Elizabeth is an American archaeologist currently pursuing a master’s degree. One day, she […]
What The Met’s numbers say about museum translation
A couple of months ago, for the New Year, The Metropolitan Museum in NYC shared their 2018 numbers on Instagram stories. I thought it was a super cool thing to do, and it provided incredibly valuable information for the field of museum translation. What can we learn from The Met’s numbers According to the data […]
Let’s Get Real Conference 2019 Reviewed
Last Wednesday, I attended the Let’s Get Real Conference, organised by Culture24. Talks focused on connecting digital practice with social purpose. In short, it was an amazing experience, so allow me to tell you what I liked the most! Pre-conference mood In the beginning, I was a bit nervous to attend this conference because I thought I’d […]
Which languages is it worth translating into?
In our last post we discussed what materials museums should translate and what’s normally done according to their objectives. There are many reasons why a museum would translate their content. And, depending on the type of materials, they will have to pick several or just 1-2 languages to work with. Translating only maps and audio guides […]
Different approaches to museum translation
In our last post we discussed whether or not museums should consider translating their content, not only as a way to really engage their current audiences, but also as a strategy to attract new ones. However, depending on the museum’s objectives, there might be different approaches to museum translation: A minimal approach to museum translation: maps The […]
Should museums translate their content?
Any discussion about the linguistic needs of institutions like museums should start with one question: What are museums for? Or should we say, Who are museums for? As a translator, I’ve spent the last few years of my career to translating content into Spanish for museums in the US. So it’s out there, the […]