A mixed audience with little time
Tourists and multilingual visitors are not the same group, though they overlap. A tourist may be from another country or just another region, may spend an hour or two in a museum and may read the local language poorly or not at all. A multilingual local resident may read comfortably in two or three languages but prefer one for certain tasks. Others are learning the local language and want to practice.
What they share is a need to get meaning quickly, in a form they can follow. An exhibit that depends entirely on dense text in a single language will lose many of them.
Decide which languages to offer
You cannot support every language, so choose with evidence. Look at what you know about your visitors: ticketing information, visitor surveys, local census data where available, tourism patterns and requests from staff. Visitor data can help, though it has limits, since the people who do not come cannot appear in the numbers.
Think about two layers:
- A small number of languages for full content, chosen on the basis of the largest groups and the budget you can maintain.
- A wider set of languages for essentials, such as a welcome, a map, safety information and a short introduction to the highlights.
Be honest about what is offered. It is better to provide fewer languages done well than many done poorly, and to say clearly which parts of the exhibit are translated.
Make switching easy
Language switching should be obvious and quick. Visitors who cannot read the local language also cannot read a menu labeled in it. Label each language option in that language, for example showing the language’s own name, and keep the control in a consistent place on every screen. Using flags to represent languages is a common but flawed practice, since languages and countries do not match one to one.
Allow switching at any point without losing progress. An attract screen can cycle greetings in several languages, inviting visitors to choose. Remember the choice during a session, and reset sensibly afterward so the next visitor is not confused. Also consider that groups may include people who prefer different languages: some exhibits can let two people read side by side, or show a second language beneath the first.
Let images and sound carry meaning
The most robust approach to many languages is to lean less on text. Strong visuals, diagrams, maps, timelines and well-chosen photographs communicate across languages. Short video with captions, or demonstration animations, can explain a process without long paragraphs. Motion graphics can show a sequence in a way that works for almost anyone.
Audio guides can offer narration in several languages, which is usually cheaper than building separate screen layouts. Plan for headphones or directional speakers so that different languages do not collide and sound bleed stays low. Captions and transcripts in each language help visitors who prefer to read, and also those with hearing loss.
Write for translation
Good translation begins with good source text. Short sentences, plain language and concrete words are easier to translate accurately. Avoid idioms, puns, regional slang and cultural references that do not carry across. Keep key facts in one place rather than scattered through long paragraphs.
Some practical points:
- Allow for text expansion. A translated phrase can be much longer than the original, so interfaces need flexible space.
- Check that fonts support the characters of each language, including accents and non-Latin scripts.
- Remember that some languages are written right to left, which affects layout.
- Keep names, dates and units consistent, and consider local date and number formats.
Exhibit translation is best done by qualified translators, ideally with someone who knows the subject and the audience. Machine translation can be useful as a draft, but unchecked output can introduce errors, some of them embarrassing or misleading. Have a fluent reader review it, especially for sensitive or technical content.
Keep it short and orderly
A tourist’s visit may be an hour. Do not expect them to read everything. Help them find the highlights with clear gallery wayfinding, a suggested short route and symbols or numbers that work in any language. A quick map near the entrance, with the main points marked, saves time.
Write the top layer of each exhibit to be understood in under a minute, and place deeper information behind a choice. Visitors with more time or interest can then go further. This layered approach also helps people who are reading in their second or third language, and for whom a long text is tiring.
Consider phones and connectivity
Many visitors use their own devices and may be able to translate text with a camera or a translation app. Do not rely on this, since results vary and not everyone has data or a suitable phone, but design so that it works reasonably: clear, high-contrast text with good image resolution is easier for camera tools to read. QR codes can lead to language versions on the web, though mobile data costs and weak signal can be obstacles for travelers. Pages that load on slow connections and offline options help.
Test with the people you want to serve
You can learn a great deal by watching and asking. Prototype testing with speakers of your target languages reveals unclear icons, awkward phrasing and mistakes that translators missed. Short conversations with visitors, with consent, can show what they found easy or frustrating. Treat feedback from any single language group as a guide rather than a final answer, and keep the translation process updated as content changes. Out-of-date translations are a common problem, so include them in your maintenance plan.