Wall texts – things that go wrong and what we can do

Words on walls surround us: directives, warnings, commemorative plaques, labels. Perhaps the most sophisticated of these are gallery texts in museums. When wall texts are translated, the undisputed goal is inclusivity. However, I would say they also seek to impress, to convey the prestige of their source – the author or authority that put them in place. In 2012, I saw this second purpose served in the trilingual wall texts at the entrance to Persepolis, carved in stone in the sixth century BCE.

Quality matters if such texts are to make an impression, and many are long-lived even if not millennial. Museums’ permanent collection texts stay on walls for years. Temporary exhibition texts are often duplicated in exquisite catalogues published for posterity. Even the microtexts that promote safety or state rules on public or private signage affect the perception of prestige, or branding, of a business, city or country.

Facilitator: Mary Ellen Kerans

Purpose: To improve our ability to analyse problems in translations of wall texts and to discuss how to ensure fitness for purpose. To provide a starting point for devising strategies to help clients understand how their texts may be perceived and the value of collaborating with astute translators.

Description: After a brief introduction, we’ll critically review a selection of very short wall texts to discuss what needs fixing (or not), why, and what knowledge or skills could help avoid the problems identified. Next, we’ll look at a slightly longer gallery text and see how an informal group of MET improvers and fixers at an off-METM museum walk ventured solutions. Finally, we’ll work in small groups or pairs on another short gallery text. Together, we’ll discuss solutions and explore ways to guide clients towards better quality.

Participant profile: Anyone who translates – or commissions translations – can benefit from the tasks and contribute to the discussions. The principles involved affect all levels of texts we see – from supposedly lowly ones “anyone can handle” up to short but sophisticated gallery texts that require research, consultation and more.