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Introduction published In: Museums as Spaces of Cultural Translation and Transfer
Edited by Sophie Decroupet and Irmak Mertens
[Babel 70:5] 2024
► pp. 593–614

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Introductory article

Conceptualizing museum translation

Cultural translation, interlingual processes and other perspectives

 | KU Leuven | University of Tartu
 | Ghent University
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with KU Leuven.

Published online: 29 April 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00396.mer
Abstract
The scholarly debate in translation studies and related fields has extensively addressed the definition, scope, and limitations of translation. We contend that museum translation, which encompasses both the traditional “translation proper” as well as the non-verbal and multimodal aspects of translation, is central to this debate. Museum translation covers an extensive spectrum of perspectives, which contribute to the expansion of the concept of translation and the field of translation studies. It capitalizes on the intrinsic interdisciplinarity of museum studies and translation studies, fostering a profound exchange of disciplines and serving as an ideal foundation for discussing the boundaries of translation. It has a dynamic nature that can contract or expand to suit the researcher’s perspective and disciplinary concentration. A comprehensive examination of the intricate procedures encompassed by museum translation is, therefore, timely. In this article, we examine and compare different applications of this concept and provide an overview of how various disciplines and research foci have approached this area of study. We aim to contribute to the ongoing development of the concept of museum translation and its position in translation studies, a call further addressed by each author in this special issue titled “Museums as Spaces of Cultural Translation and Transfer.”
Résumé
La définition de la traduction, sa portée et ses limites ont été le sujet de nombreux débats scientifiques dans le domaine de la traductologie et de ses disciplines proches. Nous soutenons que la traduction muséale se situe au cœur de ce débat, englobant à la fois la « traduction proprement dite » ou traditionnelle et les aspects non verbaux et multimodaux de la traduction. La traduction muséale couvre un large éventail de perspectives qui contribuent à l’expansion du concept de traduction ainsi que du domaine des études sur la traduction. Elle tire parti de l’interdisciplinarité intrinsèque de la muséologie et de la traductologie, ce qui favorise un échange approfondi entre les disciplines et constitue une base idéale pour discuter des limites de la traduction. La traduction muséale est un concept qui peut se contracter ou s’étendre en fonction de la perspective du.de la chercheur.se et de sa concentration disciplinaire. Un examen approfondi des procédures complexes qu’englobe la traduction muséale est donc requis. Dans cet article, nous examinons et comparons les différentes applications de ce concept et donnons un aperçu de la manière dont diverses disciplines et axes de recherche ont abordé ce domaine d’étude. Notre objectif est de contribuer au développement du concept de traduction muséale et de sa position dans les études sur la traduction, une demande à laquelle chaque auteur répond dans ce numéro spécial, « Museums as Spaces of Cultural Translation and Transfer » [Les musées, lieux de traduction culturelle et de transfert].
Article outline
  • 1.Museums: From contact zones to translation zones
  • 2.Museum translation
  • 3.Translating the “other”
  • 4.Museum and translation studies: Convergences
  • 5.Verbal aspects of museum translation: Central or auxiliary?
  • 6.Museums as spaces of cultural translation and transfer
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
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