AUSIT Webinar | 20251111 From translating across languages to interpreting across time: why working with museums might be a viable pathway for translators and interpreters in a post-AI world

In this webinar, we look at one possible pathway for translators and interpreters to turn towards in a post-AI world—working with museums. Museums, galleries and heritage sites are institutions that play an important role in defining who we are and constructing the nation we live in. They are also, fundamentally, institutions engaged in interpreting. They translate the past for modern audiences and help us to understand what our heritage means. This makes museums a field that we can turn to as we look to use our skills and knowledge in industries outside of straight translation and interpreting. And this doesn’t just mean translating exhibits and interpreting tours. Museums are spaces where we can creatively apply our skills not just to translate across languages, but to interpret across time. If we can make this conceptual shift, if we can realise that the past is another country, a country that needs its own interpreters and translators, we may find that the future of human translation lies, in part, in interpreting our past. Key Takeaways:

– Understand what “interpreting” means in a museum context

– Explore the common challenges when translating across time

– Widen your perspective beyond language