The answer to this question is not as straightforward as one might expect.  I have been working for several years on a Spanish/English vocabulary of terminology used in natural history collections care, and have been round and round with these words (among others).

First, the word conservationist.  Most English dictionaries define conservationist in relation to the conservation of natural resources.  I think you really want the translation for conservator, one who works on "museum articles" (as one dictionary put it), right?

According to the authoritative DICCIONARIO DE LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA, REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA, the translation for curator is curador, and the translation for conservator is conservador.  The word restaurador is often used in Spanish to mean a conservator, but technically this word means
restorer, which is what we called conservators in English decades ago (when their role was strictly that of restoring things).  Curador, in Spanish, can also mean "caretaker," but of course the same is true for the word curator in English.

Having traveled extensively through Latin America and a little bit in Spain, visiting museums, conducting field work and workshops, and such, I can tell you that the use of the terms varies greatly from country to country.  Thus what is correct in one place will not be correct in
another.  You also run into different uses of similar words, for example, curation may be translated either as curación or curatoria, depending on where you are.

There is an excellent source of questions such as yours, and that is the fine publication APOYO, the newsletter of the Asociación para la Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural de las Americas.  The editor is Amparo de Torres ([log in to unmask]).  You might refer your question to her,
too.  Looking at recent issues of APOYO, I note that both conservador (conservadora) and restaurador(a) are used by people from different countries.

John E. Simmons
Natural History Museum
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

Laura Bauer wrote:

> Could somebody tell me the correct translation for the terms "Curator" and
> "Conservationist" (as in someone who restores or fixes objects) in modern
> Spanish?  The dictionary says "Conservador" for Curator, but I would like a
> confirmation on that. If there is a difference between countries or
> continents, our geographical location would make the Mexican spanish
> translation most useful.  Thank you!
>
> Laura Bauer   [log in to unmask]
> Assistant Curator of Exhibits
> Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
> (805) 682-4711 x324
>
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