How to commission an English audio guide for a small local exhibition

A small exhibition can welcome visitors who do not understand its original language, but a literal translation of wall labels seldom makes a useful audio

Prepare an authoritative source pack

Provide the approved original script, object names, personal names, dates, route directions and photographs of labels. Ask the curator to distinguish documented claims from folklore or interpretation. Give translators a short terminology list, with context for ambiguous terms. An unclear source passage should be referred back to the exhibition team, not filled with invented historical detail.

Write for listening, not for a display case

Dense label prose can sound exhausting when read aloud. Invite the translator to shorten sentence structure while retaining the meaning, and have a qualified editor check that the English sounds natural. Set an approximate duration for each stop and leave pauses for moving between exhibits. Where names are unfamiliar to English speakers, provide a pronunciation guide verified with the curator.

Brief the narrator and agree on rights

Specify pace, tone, pronunciation, file format, whether individual lines can be re-recorded and who signs off the sample. Discuss permission to use the recording, source-file retention and web distribution before the session. Review a short test recording first. Do not record visitors or staff without permission merely to add an atmosphere track.

Illustrative example for a UK audience

Imagine a small local-history exhibition in a British town translating a five-stop guide from another language. The curator supplies approved scripts and object photographs; a translator adapts the text; an independent editor checks clarity; and a narrator records a sample. The curator then checks the spoken names against the approved captions. This is a hypothetical workflow, not a claim about a particular museum.

Test the actual visitor experience

Listen on an ordinary smartphone and through headphones. Check volume, clipped words, track order and the timing of directions. Offer a written transcript for people who prefer reading. Translation is not a substitute for historical verification, and a sound file alone does not make an exhibition accessible to everyone.

Find collaborators directly with Match2Go

Describe the exhibition, languages, number of stops, approval process and required deliverables in a Match2Go listing. Share useful images without confidential material, agree on revisions directly and verify the provider’s experience. Match2Go is a geosocial service made by people, for people. It does not purchase paid advertising; it grows through personal recommendations. If it helps, share it with friends and colleagues.

Prepared with AI assistance; independent human editorial review has not been confirmed.