In 2018, translation consultant and interpreter Luna Venturi noticed a rising trend in multilingual materials provided by museums globally. Her article “The Multilingual Museum,”, specifically references the Guggenheim Museum in New York which engaged Twitter (now X) users in conversation about incorporating other languages into their programming. In the process, they initiated discourse between “other top museums in the NYC area.”

In the wake of the pandemic and national discussions on racial equity, many U.S. museums are pushing for multilingual resources. The goal is to welcome a more diverse audience and improve accessibility within their exhibits and patrons’ experiences. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago (MCA) is implementing bilingual language options. In their effort to make MCA, “an accessible, diverse, and multilingual space for all communities and families...,” the museum is providing translations for the Spanish-speaking population of Chicago (29% of their city’s population). Additionally, from December 2023 to July 2024, they opened a tri-lingual exhibit called Chicago Works: Maryam Taghavi مریم تقوی. This exhibit includes pieces from Taghavi’s portfolio, and “is translated into three languages: English, Spanish and Persian.”                   

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (The Modern) and the Dallas Museum of Art have also, “incorporated Spanish text into permanent collections and rotating exhibition design...” The Modern provides Spanish language tours the fourth Friday of every month with free admission and tours in Spanish, French, and American Sign Language upon request. This past October they also highlighted the works of Latinx artists for Hispanic Heritage Month, providing dates and informational materials in English and Spanish. The Dallas Museum of Art’s website also includes several resources translated to Spanish. These include, but are not limited to, directions to the museum, current exhibits, and archival information.

Looking ahead, translating website content offers an opportunity to improve museum accessibility, especially as the number of US families that speak a foreign language continues to grow.       

Bilingual Website Development
In 2022, with financial support from the Knight Foundation’s Digital Engagements Initiatives Grant, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) launched a bilingual website, representing their regional Spanish variant. Director of PAMM Franklin Sirmans states that the motivation to curate bilingual materials is that “with significant changes over the past few years in the way museum audiences can experience art, it’s become apparent that art can and should be accessible far past the walls of a museum.”  While curating these translations, the museum focused on the nuances of bilingual content creation, the tone and voice the PAMM would adopt (employing the familiar “tú” versus the formal “usted”), and the specificity of Miami’s regional Mexican-Spanish variant. To remain consistent in their content voice and translations, the museum created a “comprehensive style guide in Spanish (ES)... as a blueprint to ensure coherence, precision, and cultural resonance across the museum.” By considering tone, style, and Miami’s regional Spanish language variation, they provide a resource that is specific to the needs and cultural relevance of their community.

The Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona also provides a bilingual website (Spanish and English), working to interpret versus translate. Chief marketing and external affairs officer Nikki DeLeon Martin states that interpretation means “providing as equal an experience for visitors as possible in the two languages.”  While Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) tailored its resources to reflect the Mexican-Spanish variant, the Phoenix Art Museum took a different approach. Their museum enlisted the help of twelve English-Spanish speaking translators from a wider variety of Spanish speaking countries: The United States (Arizona Mexican Spanish variant), Puerto Rico, Ecuador, and Chile. They then sent their materials to focus groups to ensure their web page was accessible across many different Spanish variants.

Key Takeaways about Museum Website Translation and Interpretation
Both PAMM and the Phoenix Art Museum state that their translations and interpretations will evolve over time to meet the needs of their audience. When museums consider translating their website, there are some lessons they may borrow from the Dallas Museum of Art, Pérez Art Museum Miami, and Phoenix Art Museum.

  1. Consistency is key.
    While all three museums’ translations/interpretations focused on different content, audiences, and institutional needs, they translated the principal content (directions, accessibility, and ticket prices). The Dallas Museum of Art has more limited translations, but they consistently translate important information such as exhibits, directions, ticket options, and accommodations. Pérez Art Museum Miami and the Phoenix Art Museum specify the Spanish-speaking audiences they wish to reach. They then focus resources to provide translations meeting the nuances of both cities. This specificity ensures that all their materials maintain a consistent voice and tone.

  2. Translate exhibit information.
    All three museums provide extensive exhibition context in both Spanish and English. Some museum visitors prefer to interact visually with materials. Others thrive on background information. Providing deeper engagement opportunities enhances the experience for your audience and expands your patron base.

  3. Know your audience.
    No institution can translate their materials for every world language. It is about knowing your audience. Given that the Hispanic population is the largest minority group, and that Spanish is the most common non-English language spoken at home in the United States, it makes sense for museums to prioritize Spanish translations. Each city’s cultural and linguistic demographics vary greatly. As such, when PAMM and The Phoenix Art Museum translated/interpreted their materials, their success was largely due to their language variant specificity. Don’t attempt to translate your materials into every language option. Instead, spend time completing thorough translations of all your content, starting with one language.

Closing Thoughts
As museums continue to welcome and provide resources to more diverse audiences, there are many components to consider. Providing multilingual resources opens doors for new relationships and opportunities for institutional growth in marketing and community engagement. A great avenue to begin this journey could be to seek out resources and people who can help you to translate your website materials. By providing the option to access your materials in at least one other language, you increase your patron base and strengthen community relations.

Written by Caili Harris, a graduate student in the M.F.A. in Theatre - Arts Leadership program at Virginia Tech.