Training Museum Translators through Linguistics Theory, Practical Experience and Civic Engagement: A Case-study

Yıl 2024, , 93 - 106, 31.12.2024

Marina Manfredi

https://doi.org/10.51637/jimuseumed.1564971

Öz

This paper, situated at the intersection of Translation Studies, translator education and linguistics, aims to present a didactic project on interlingual museum translation conducted by the author at the University of Bologna, Italy, over the past three years. The project-based methodology draws its data from a qualitative case-study reporting on the so-called “Museum Project”, carried out with postgraduate students in a Translation Studies course within the international second cycle degree program in Language, Society and Communication of the Department of Modern languages, Literatures and Cultures. The project involved three cohorts of students, who were tasked with producing target texts (translated from Italian into English), for the Civic Archaeological Museum in Bologna, immersing them in a ‘situated learning’ context. Following an overview of the linguistics framework underlying the project – i.e., Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday 1994) as applied to museum texts by Ravelli (1996, 2006) – the paper focuses on the background, context and methodology. It details the setting and participants, materials and resources, and elaborates on the details of design and procedures, all underpinned by a student-centered approach. Preliminary findings from the ongoing project are provided, with a goal to show the potentials of such a project-based method in translator education. It is argued that task-based activities for the real world not only enhance students’ motivation and engagement, but also raise self-awareness of their learning processes, thanks to the acquisition of a broad range of skills and competences. The study aspires to stimulate similar projects in different museum contexts, with other language combinations, other students and new researchers.hopes to stimulate similar projects in different museum contexts, with other language combinations, other students and new researchers.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Museum translation, project-based learning, situated learning, translation studies, systemic functional linguistics

Training Museum Translators through Linguistics Theory, Practical Experience and Civic Engagement: A Case-study

Öz

This paper, which lies at the intersection of Translation Studies, translator education and linguistics, aims to illustrate a didactic project on interlingual museum translation conducted by the author at the University of … , Italy, in the past three years. The project-based methodology draws its data from a qualitative case-study reporting on the so-called “Museum Project”, carried out with postgraduate students in a Translation Studies course within the international second cycle degree program in Language, Society and Communication of the Department of Modern languages, Literatures and Cultures. It has involved three cohorts of students, who were engaged in producing target texts (translated from Italian into English), for the Civic Archaeological Museum in … , and thus were embedded in a ‘Situated learning’ context. After an illustration of the linguistics framework underlying the project – i.e., Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday 1994) as applied to museum texts by Ravelli (1996, 2006) – the paper focuses on the background, context and methodology, describing setting and participants, materials and resources, and delving into the details of design and procedure underpinned by a student-centred perspective. Preliminary findings of the still ingoing project are provided, with a goal to show the potentials of such a project-based method in translator education. It is argued that task-based activities for the real world, while enhancing students’ motivation and engagement, raise self-awareness of their learning process, thanks to the acquisition of a broad range of skills and competences. The study hopes to stimulate similar projects in different museum contexts, with other language combinations, other students and new researchers.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Museum translation, project-based learning, situated learning, translation studies, systemic functional linguistics

Kaynakça

• Anderson, G. (Ed.) (2004). Reinventing the museum: Historical and contemporary perspectives on the paradigm shift. Altamira Press.
• Bal, M. (2011). Exposing the public. In S. Macdonald (Ed.), A companion to museum studies (pp. 525-542). Wiley-Blackwell.
• Blunden, J. (2016). The language with displayed art(efacts): Linguistic and sociological perspectives on meaning, accessibility and knowledge-building in museum exhibitions. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Technology Sydney]. https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/90004/2/02whole.pdf
• Blunden, J. (2020). Adding ‘something more’ to looking: The interaction of artefact, verbiage and visitor in museum exhibitions. Visual Communication, 19(1), 45–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357217741938
• Chen, C. L., & Liao, M. H. (2017). National identity, international visitors: Narration and translation of the Memorial Museum. Museum and Society, 15(1), 56–68. https://doi.org/10.29311/mas.v15i1.662
• Coxall, H. (1991). How language means: An alternative view of museum text. In K. Gaynor (Ed.), Museum languages: Objects and texts (pp. 85–100). Leicester University Press.
• Coxall, H. (1994). Museum text as mediated message. In E. Greenhill (Ed.), The educational role of the museum (pp. 132–139). Routledge.
• Deane-Cox, S. (2014). Remembering Oradour-Sur-Glane: Collective memory in translation. Translation and Literature, 23(2), 272–283. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/tal.2014.0156
• Decroupet, S. & Mertens, I. (2024). Conceptualizing museum translation: Cultural translation, interlingual processes and other perspectives. Special issue of Babel, 70(5), 593–614. https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00396.mer
• Ferguson, L., MacLulich, C. & Ravelli, L. (1995). Meanings and messages: Language guidelines for museum exhibitions. Australian Museum.
• González-Davies, M. & Enríquez-Raído, V. (2016). Situated learning in translator and interpreter training: Bridging research and good practice. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 10(1), 1–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1750399X
• Guillot, M. N. (2014). Cross-Cultural pragmatics and translation: The case of museum texts as interlingual representation. In J. House (Ed.), Translation: A multidisciplinary approach (pp. 73-95). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi. org/10.1057/9781137025487_5
• Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). An introduction to functional grammar. Arnold.
• Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1991). A new communication model for museums. In G. Kavanagh (Ed.), Museum languages: Objects and texts (pp. 49–61). Leicester University Press.
• Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1994). Museums and their visitors. Routledge.
• International Council of Museums. (2022). Museum Definition. https://icom.museum/en/resources/standards-guidelines/museum-definition/
• Jiang, C. (2010). Quality assessment for the translation of museum texts: Application of a systemic functional model. Perspectives, 18(2), 109–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/09076761003678734
• Kim, K. H. (2020). Museum translation as a political act: Narrative engagement for affective experiences in the War and Women's Human Rights Museum in Seoul. Museum Management and Curatorship, 35(5), 551–566. https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2020.1812104
• Kiraly, D. (2000). A Social constructivist approach to translator education. St. Jerome.
• Kiraly, D. (2005). Project-based learning: A case for situated translation. Meta, Journal des traducteurs/Translators' Journal, 50(4), 1098–1111. https://doi.org/10.7202/012063ar
• Kjeldsen, A. K. & Jensen, M. N (2015). When words of wisdom are not wise: A study of accessibility in museum exhibition texts. Nordisk Museologi, 1, 91–111. https://doi.org/10.5617/nm.3002
• Koliou, A. (1997). Foreign languages and their role in access to museums. Museum Management and Curatorship, 16(1), 71–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/09647779700601601
• Liao, M. H. (2018). Museums and creative industries: The contribution of translation studies. The Journal of Specialized Translation, 29, 45–62.
• Liao, M. H. (2019). Translating multimodal texts in space: A case study of St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art. Linguistica Antverpiensia, 17, 84–98. https://lans-tts.uantwerpen.be/index.php/LANS-TTS/article/view/475/434
• Liao, M. H. (2023). Translation as a practice of resemiotization: A case study of the Opium War Museum. Translation Studies, 16(1), 48-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2022.2103024
• Manfredi, M. (2021a). Building and enhancing intercultural communication in museum spaces through SFL and Translation Studies. In M.E. Brisk, & M.J. Schleppegrell (Eds), Language in action: SFL theory across contexts (pp. 257-283). Equinox.
• Manfredi, M. (2021b). Professional museum translators for promoting multilingualism and accessible texts: Translation practices in some Italian museums and a proposal. Journal of Translation Studies, 1, 59-85. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/plg/jts/2021/00000001/00000001/art00006
• McManus, P. M. (1989). Oh, yes, they do: How museum visitors read labels and interact with exhibit texts. Curator, 32(2), 174–189. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2151-6952.1989.tb00718.x
• McManus, P. M. (1991). Making sense of exhibits. In G. Kavanagh (ed.), Museum languages: Objects and texts (pp. 35–46). Leicester University Press.
• Neather, R. (2005). Translating the museum: On translation and (cross-) cultural presentation in contemporary China. In J. House, M. R. Martín Ruano & N. Baumgarten (Eds.), IATIS Yearbook (pp. 180–197). IATIS.
• Neather, R. (2012a). ‘Non-expert’ translators in a professional community. The Translator, 18(2), 245–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/1355 6509.2012.10799510
• Neather, R. (2012b). Intertextuality, translation, and the semiotics of museum presentation: The case of bilingual texts in Chinese museums. Semiotica, 192, 197–218. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2012-0082
• Neather, R. (2021). Museums as translation zones. In E. Bielsa, & D. Kapsaskis (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of translation and globalization (pp. 306–319). Routledge.
• Neather, R. (2022). Translation, memory, and the museum visitor. In S. Deane-Cox, & A. Spiessens (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of translation and memory (pp. 155–169). Routledge.
• Neather, R. (2025). Translating for museums, galleries and heritage sites. Routledge.
• Perego, E. (2021). Extending the uses of museum audio description: Implications for translation training and English language acquisition. Textus, English Studies in Italy, 34(1), 229–253. https://doi.org/10.7370/100403
• Pireddu, S. (2022). Quality in translation: Planning and assessing museum texts. Status Quaestionis, 23, 29–52. https://doi.org/10.13133/2239-1983/18223
• Pym, A. (1992). Translation error analysis and the interface with language teaching. In C. Dollerup, & A. Loddegaard (Eds.), Teaching Translation and Interpreting 1: Training, Talent and Experience (pp. 279-288). Benjamins.
• Ravelli, L. (1996). Making language accessible: Successful text writing for museum visitors. Linguistics and Education, 8, 367–387.
• Ravelli, L. (2006). Museum texts: Communication frameworks. Routledge.
• Renner, N., Garibay, C., Plaza, C., & Yalowitz, S. S. (2015). Bilingual exhibits: Current practices, collective knowledge, outstanding questions. Museums and Social Issues, 10(1), 66–82. https://doi.org/10.1179/1559689314Z.00000000033
• Silverman, R. (2014). Museum as process: Translating local and global knowledges. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315766935 Spiessens, A., Decroupet, S. (2022). Translating spaces and memories of migration: The case of the Red Star Line Museum. Perspectives, 31(3), 484–504. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2022.2122850
• Sturge, K. (2007). Representing others: Translation, ethnography, and the museum. St. Jerome.