Multilingualism in Intercultural Museum Discourse

This paper explores the development and promotion of multilingualism in contemporary museum communication. It positions the museum as a dynamic space for intercultural dialogue, where overcoming language barriers across various facets of museum activity is essential for effective communication. Intercultural exchange is facilitated through diverse museum discourse texts, including exhibition materials, catalogues, audio guides and museum websites. From the perspective of translation studies, museum texts represent a unique and complex genre that demands a comprehensive and creative approach from translators. A critical consideration in this field is the evaluation of the advantages and limitations of artificial intelligence in the machine translation of museum content. The paper examines the functions of translation within museum discourse, identifies key translation challenges and explores strategies for implementing multilingual versions of museum websites to optimize communication. Through a case study of the German Museum’s multilingual website, the translation of selected sections from German into English, Russian and Chinese is analyzed, highlighting practical approaches to fostering effective multilingualism in museum contexts.