I was wondering if any other museums offer (or know of museums which
offer) bi-lingual presentations and how they do so. There are a few
obstacles I'm finding which I hope others might have some insights to
help address.
1) Length of time – bilingual presentations are taking too long and
visitors begin losing interest. We tried to address this by creating
scripts so that the english and czech presenters could do so more
easily and quickly. Still too long. We're going to try and
bullet-point the Czech presentation and possibly to present both
languages simultaneously, as opposed to switching between the two
every few sentences. So, right now we're feeling in the dark, more or
less. If anyone has any firmer or tested or other ideas, please let me
know.
2) Getting kids to talk! – This issue might be worse in the Czech
Republic since people here tend to be more reserved, especially in
large groups. They seem shy to speak at all – even in Czech – and
especially in English, probably because they're not confidant in their
abilities (which are usually quite good). This lack of communication
harms the bi-lingual presentations and it also presents an obstacle
for communication amongst visitors on the museum floor. I know that
many museums are beginning to form exchange programs, so I'm sure this
will be an issue which will need to be addressed. So, any ideas or
suggestions for how to get kids out of their shells?

Thanks!
-Ari Einbinder
ari.einbinder@techmania.cz

I think the answer to this problem varies depending on the type of the activity and also the structure of the public.

I will list a couple of what we in Hisa eksperimentov think are good practices when presenting a Science Show with simultaneous translation.

1. It helps if the translator is also an explainer (not necessarily in the same activity, but the translator should have a feel for the science communication)

2. Take time before the activity to familliarize the translator with the script. Go through all experiments and punchlines together. This will add a lot of quality value to the show. (minimum time for preparation = length of the presentation x 2)

3. If the translator also mimics some of the presenter's actions during the translation that will make him/her a part of the presentation (not just the voice out of the speaker)

During the presentation:

1. Break the longer sentences into shorter parts. Translating shorter intervals makes pace of the presentation more fluid-like.

2. Break the punchlines at the same time - otherwise the translation of the punchline will not have required effect. (If most of the audiece speaks the translated language, let only the translator tell the punchline)

Getting oppinions from the public:

1. A big plus for the presenter is to learn a couple of words that might come up as an answer from the public. It will shorten the response time.

(also good for the punchlines) - This makes the presentation more personal - also the public appreciates it.

2. If possible save longer questions from the public until the show ends (not everyone might be interested and they can break the flow of the presentation).

Any other ideas?

Luka (Hisa eksperimentov, Slovenia)

Previously THE Committee wrote:

I was wondering if any other museums offer (or know of museums which
offer) bi-lingual presentations and how they do so. There are a few
obstacles I'm finding which I hope others might have some insights to
help address.
1) Length of time – bilingual presentations are taking too long and
visitors begin losing interest. We tried to address this by creating
scripts so that the english and czech presenters could do so more
easily and quickly. Still too long. We're going to try and
bullet-point the Czech presentation and possibly to present both
languages simultaneously, as opposed to switching between the two
every few sentences. So, right now we're feeling in the dark, more or
less. If anyone has any firmer or tested or other ideas, please let me
know.
2) Getting kids to talk! – This issue might be worse in the Czech
Republic since people here tend to be more reserved, especially in
large groups. They seem shy to speak at all – even in Czech – and
especially in English, probably because they're not confidant in their
abilities (which are usually quite good). This lack of communication
harms the bi-lingual presentations and it also presents an obstacle
for communication amongst visitors on the museum floor. I know that
many museums are beginning to form exchange programs, so I'm sure this
will be an issue which will need to be addressed. So, any ideas or
suggestions for how to get kids out of their shells?

Thanks!
-Ari Einbinder
ari.einbinder@techmania.cz

Although both theoretical and applied aspects of MMI were addressed by all of the course syllabi that were examined in this analysis, these two areas were never equally addressed.  All the course syllabi examined tended to focus more strongly on either theory or application.  The syllabi with a theoretical focus tended to address general principles of language and social structure and how they varied across cultural groups.Debt Consolidations