Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Museums are often regarded as crucial sites to display and disseminate local cultures. With higher expectations from visitors, museums are under pressure on addressing issues such as how to increase social participation and ensure equal access. For this, translation, as an important tool for multilingual services in museums, to some extent, can help museums meet these challenges. Although many museums offer translation services, there is a lack of research in translation practice in museums. In a broader sense, translation is not limited to the conversion between word to word, but can be understood as a process of ‘selecting, relocating, exhibiting and interpreting’ (Liao 2018). This paper discusses the important role of translation in museum practice and research. By taking the Ulster Museum in Northern Ireland as an example, this paper explores the Chinese translation of the Troubles and Beyond gallery, and explains how to retell stories of the Troubles, a period of dark history happening in Northern Ireland, through translation in a way that meets the needs of Chinese visitors.