Multimodal Mediation in Translation and Communication of Chinese Museum Culture in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract Museums serve as repositories and exhibitors of cultural artifacts, playing a vital role in international cultural exchange. In the digital era, advancements in Artificial Intelligence and big data offer innovative modes of translation and mediation, enhancing the content and diversifying channels through which Chinese museum culture is presented globally. Museum culture display embodies a multimodal discourse, primarily reliant on imagery within its information system. This study explores the integration of new technologies to facilitate multimodal mediation in the translation and communication of Chinese museum culture. The investigation involves an in-depth analysis of human–computer interaction guidelines, precise service delivery based on machine learning, and relevant Artificial Intelligence corpora. The research demonstrates how Artificial Intelligence mediation can promote the multimodal translation and communication of diverse aspects of Chinese museum cultures. Specifically, it highlights three key approaches based on specific usage scenarios and objectives, including a chatbot designed for smaller indoor spaces such as museums, emphasizing on-site interactive experiences; new media and big data applications tailored for large outdoor cultural and educational venues, prioritizing tour experiences and visitor engagement; and online VR/AR experiential facilities serving remote visitors unable to physically visit cultural and educational sites. The integration of Artificial Intelligence aims to realize multilingual and multidimensional mediation, enriching the expression of Chinese museum culture by rendering abstract content visually, animating text, and augmenting images, allowing the audience to fully engage with China’s cultural heritage through auditory, visual, olfactory, and tactile sensory experiences. This research aims to offer valuable insights to museums and relevant government tourism management agencies, contributing to an improved translation and communication impact of Chinese museum culture.