Language inclusion in museums

Abstract

"Museums are responsible for sharing and preserving cultural records in an accessible way with and for the communities around them. In the United States, over 100 million people speak languages other than English, yet most museums prioritize solely English. This causes visitors who speak languages other than English to feel othered, ignored, and excluded, hindering their relationships with museums. Museums must dismantle these monolinguistic pillars by committing to language inclusion outside of accessibility. this book addresses reasons to remedy the lack of language inclusivity, explains research-based benefits of multilingualism, and establishes translation guidelines to make museums more equitable and accessible"--pg. 4 of cover.

Contents

Part I: Why design for inclusivity? -- A sense of belonging in the museum setting -- Growing up bi/multilingual: museum programs for children -- Don't forget about me: strategies, benefits, and reasons for engaging bi/multilingual teens and adults -- Part II: The role of the institution. -- Understanding the visitors: the social impact of bi/multilingualism -- Beyond the walls: building bi/multilingual community partnerships -- Integrating multilingual strategies inside the museum -- Multilingual accessibility efforts: reaching the multilingual D/disabled community -- Employee care: avoiding burnout and tokenization and advocating for employees -- Part III: The art of translation. -- Content versus culture: translating beyond the text -- No longer lost in translation: museum translation style guides -- The bi/multilingual museum online -- Part IV: The toolkit. -- The multilingual museum toolkit