Hi Lauren,

In response to your inquiry about languages used in museums…

 

1.) What resources do you or your museum offer for Non-English speakers? (Labels, audio tours, etc)

      We recently developed a small map insert for guests with the exhibit titles in Spanish.  We also have recently translated our general PA announcements into Spanish which will likely be implemented if we have a number of Spanish speakers in the building. Ticket prices and general visitor services phrases have also been translated so we can better communication with our Spanish speaking guests. For a couple of our “blockbuster” exhibitions, we did offer audio tours in Spanish, but we do not have that option for our current special exhibition.

 

2.) Do you feel your exhibit labels are written as to be accessible to all English speakers?

      Yes and no, many of our older exhibits have some labels that are long and complicated. In more recently developed exhibits, labels have conformed to newer standards and are more easily accessible.

 

3.) Do you or your institution place a high value on having language resources other than English?

      Unfortunately no. However, with the recent translation of the announcements, ticket prices, and other information, there seems to be some push to be able to communicate basic information to our visitors.

 

4.) Are your bilingual/multilingual efforts reaching the audiences they are intended for?

      Since these handouts were only developed recently (within the past month), we haven’t had many situations in which to use them. Over time, we’ll see how effective they are and if they are reaching our intended audience.

 

5.) If your institution does not offer resources in languages other than English, can you briefly explain why not?

      Resources. Basically, we do not have the resources to spend on this particular effort at this time. Opening new exhibits, however, gives us the opportunity to integrate ideas for services/opportunites for non-English speakers into the exhibition development process.

 

6.) Any other comments or statistics that you think are relevant or helpful!

      Milwaukee County Residents get in free every Monday with proof of residency and these are the days that we most often encounter non-English speakers (usually Spanish speakers). Generally the children in these families conduct the transaction (relay information from the sales associate to their family) as they are one of, if not the only, English speaker in the group.

 

The information above is for general purposes only; our marketing department would need to be contacted in order to use any quotes for publication. Also, we are interested in the results of your project, they may be able to help push our non-English language efforts forward. It would be great if you could send your final project to [log in to unmask].

 

Please let me know if you have any addition questions.

Best,

Anne Gaynor

Lead Sales Associate

Milwaukee Public Museum

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voicemail: 414.319.8618