At the beginning of 2023, People’s Collection Wales (PCW) and Amgueddfa Cymru worked together to co-ordinate the translation of sections of the Inclusive Terminology Glossary into Welsh. In this interview, Catalena Angele reflects on the importance of the glossary as a resource for PCW and the process and practicalities regarding its translation, with the hope that this might inspire other organisations and communities to take on this work in different languages. Catalena is a Learning Officer for People’s Collection Wales, an online community archive dedicated to bringing together Wales’ heritage.
Why was it important for People’s Collection Wales to translate the Inclusive Terminology Glossary into Welsh?
Welsh, the oldest language in Britain, is a treasured part of Wales’s national heritage, with approximately 18% of the population, or around 538,000 people, speaking Welsh. The Welsh Government is committed to increasing this number, with a target of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050. While English is also commonly spoken, the Welsh language is protected by law, which states that the people of Wales have the right to live their lives through the medium of Welsh. This includes the requirement for public materials to be displayed in Welsh.
People’s Collection Wales (PCW) embodies this bilingual ethos by celebrating Wales’s history, culture and people. Our website, which everyone can contribute to, from individuals and community groups to schools and cultural institutions, features a rich array of photographs, documents, audio and video recordings and stories. Supported by the Welsh Government, we are passionately committed to promoting the Welsh language.
Our commitment extends to decolonising our collections. We recognise that heritage collections often hold colonial, contested and racist content. While many of our items are contributed by our users and not “owned” by us, we recognise our privilege and power in shaping narratives through our role as contributor, moderator, curator, and promoter of content on our platform.
In exploring resources on anti-racist and decolonising practice, we discovered the Inclusive Terminology Glossary. Recognising its immense value, we decided to make it accessible in Welsh to share with and support our heritage partners. We have provided Welsh translations for two parts of the Glossary so far, the Information Pack and Section 1.1 African American History and the Atlantic Slave Trade. We are very proud to have been able to contribute to this excellent heritage resource, reflecting our dedication to both the Welsh language and an inclusive approach to heritage.
How has People’s Collection Wales been using the Inclusive Terminology Glossary?
The Glossary has helped our work in many ways and has been instrumental in shaping our approach to addressing colonial and racist content on our website. It has provided us with the tools and understanding needed to communicate openly and honestly about these sensitive topics and has helped us plan how to manage future contributions of potentially challenging content. The guidance in the Glossary’s Information Pack has helped us to write content warnings that will soon appear on our website. It has also helped us in our approach to add additional interpretation to problematic items in our collection.
We have also been guided by and referenced the Glossary when writing our public-facing decolonising documentation. This includes a Decolonising Charter, stating our commitment to this work, and a Decolonising Guidance and Toolkit, which explains what we are doing and why, shares what we have learnt, and invites our users to collaborate with us in this work. It also gives clear and practical guidance to our partners and contributors to help them when publishing on our website.
As well as utilising the Glossary in writing these documents, we also engaged Carissa Chew in a consultancy capacity to review them and share her expertise. Her guidance has been transformative, and we are incredibly grateful for her recommendations and insight.
Are there any challenges that you have faced during the translation process so far?
People’s Collection Wales is a partnership of three national heritage organisations in Wales: Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, the National Library of Wales, and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales. Content written by PCW is usually translated by the ‘in-house’ translation service at Amgueddfa Cymru. However, as PCW did not write the Glossary, this was not possible.
In this case, a Welsh translation company was commissioned to do the work, funded directly by PCW. Amgueddfa Cymru then reviewed the Welsh text, as they have experience in inclusive heritage terminology translation through working with diverse communities to decolonise items on public display in the Museum’s collection. This expertise was greatly valued and undoubtedly led to a more sensitive and accurate translation; however, the process took much longer than anticipated.
How long did the first translations take?
Translation of the Information Pack and Section 1.1 by the external agency only took a few weeks. However, the whole translation process, including additional steps for review and refinement, took several months.
What tips do you have for other organisations or community groups who are interested in translating the Glossary?
Firstly, I recommend contacting Carissa through the Cultural Heritage Terminology Network and starting a conversation. She has been incredibly enthusiastic about our contribution and extremely supportive of our work.
Secondly, think about which parts of the Glossary are essential to your work and start by translating those. The Glossary is large and covers many areas, which is one of the things that makes it such an amazing resource! But it can also make the thought of translation rather daunting. I would recommend translating the Information Pack, as it gives context to the whole Glossary and is incredibly useful, then perhaps choosing another section to focus on. This is the approach we have taken. However, we are committed to providing Welsh translation for other sections over time.
https://www.peoplescollection.wales/
https://www.casgliadywerin.cymru/
If you are interested in translating sections of the Inclusive Terminology Glossary, please contact culturalheritageterminology@gmail.com
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