Language Inclusion in Museums

Museums are responsible for sharing and preserving cultural records in an accessible way with and for the communities around them. In the United States, over 100 million people speak languages other than English, yet most museums prioritize solely English. This causes visitors who speak languages other than English to feel othered, ignored, and excluded, hindering their relationships with museums. Museums must dismantle these monolinguistic pillars by committing to language inclusion outside of accessibility.
This book addresses reasons to remedy the lack of language inclusivity, explains research-based benefits of multilingualism, and establishes translation guidelines to make museums more equitable and accessible.

Asami Robledo-Allen Yamamoto is the project manager at Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC). In her current role, Asami is spearheading projects to preserve Latinx heritage, stories, peoples, and sites across the United States and Puerto Rico through the Abuelas Project and the Latinx Preservation Tool Kit. Additionally, she works part time at the Kimbell Art Museum as a translator and bilingual educator. Previously, she served as the community and bilingual programs coordinator at the Kimbell Art Museum. At the Kimbell Art Museum, Asami established and facilitated the museum’s first dedicated bilingual program, Pictures and Pages/Fotos y Libros. She also facilitated numerous bilingual community outreach programs and created Spanish language access resources. Before the Kimbell, Asami was a previous bilingual gallery teacher at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Her museum work focuses on Spanish-language inclusion, Latinx advocacy, bilingual community and school programs, bilingual programs for children 6 and under, and anti-ableism practices in museum education.
Asami is a board member for the Museum Education Roundtable (MER) and serves as part of the editorial board for the Journal of Museum Education (JME). She has served as a thesis chair to an emerging museum educator and a guest speaker at the University of North Texas. Asami has presented at the 2022 NAEA conference and will present again at the 2023 NAEA Conference on bilingualism. Asami has published in the JME, Art Education Journal, and the MER Blog.

Fuji Robledo Yamamoto successfully defended her dissertation, ＂Incorporating Community in the Design of Mental Health Technologies＂, from the University of Colorado, Boulder in December 2022. She will be awarded her doctorate from the Department of Information Science in May 2023. Her research has focused on working with bilingual and bicultural community members, mental health therapists, and technology workers to identify the benefits and challenges of using mental health technologies. She uses community-based research methods to address issues of equity as they relate to accessing these technologies. Additionally, she has worked and managed research projects in the educational field that focus on increasing inclusivity and cultural competence in different educational settings, ranging from informal community centers to general elementary school education to more specific computer science education.
In addition to her research experience, Fuji has over 7 years of experience as a clinical licensed social worker (LCSW). She graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a Masters of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. The majority of her clinical experience has been providing bilingual and bicultural individual, family, and group therapy to primarily Spanish speaking families who have experienced trauma. She has specialized training in the neurological effects of trauma on the developing brain and trauma-informed methods, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), solution-focused therapy, and mindfulness-based practices. Her invisible labor has included translating forms, content, and programs for various research and non-profit organizations.

Gabriela Perez is the Education Coordinator at The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut. Gabriela’s work focuses on developing and leading bilingual programs for preschoolers (ages 2.5-5), Spanish-language inclusion, and bilingual language accessibility. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Gabriela established Spanish Digital Bruce Beginnings at The Bruce Museum. This program, the first of its kind at the museum, invited Spanish-speaking preschoolers and their caregivers to explore the museum’s collection virtually through storytime and interactive activities. In 2022, Gabriela continued the implementation of bilingual programs at The Bruce Museum by creating an in-person program called Bilingual Bruce Beginnings.
With an emphasis on the importance of belonging, language accessibility and inclusion, the program invited preschoolers and their caregivers to learn about art while developing their language skills through storytime and hands-on activities. The program was primarily taught in one language with select, key phrases in another language, creating a dual language environment.
Gabriela Perez received a Master’s degree in Museum Education after successfully defending her thesis, ＂B is for Belonging: Bilingual Program and the Development of Preschoolers in Museums＂, from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.