Keywords

1 Introduction

The museum is not just a place for the accumulation of memory and in-depth research; it is also an open and accessible space, fostering diversity and sustainability [1]. Museums have made sustained efforts to capture the attention of as many people as possible and awaken their desire to become physical visitors. To achieve this, they establish special departments for logistics, public relations, or cultural marketing to optimize the organized events and facilitate the dissemination of information to a wider audience. In this article, we aim to conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis of museum communication in foreign languages as it appears on accredited museum websites in Romania. The article focuses on the multilingual website as a factor for increasing the competitiveness and attractiveness of a museum and it offers a practical, competitive, accessible, free, and rapid solution through the use of AI services.

2 Background Research

There have been studies analyzing the presence of multilingual websites across various domains such as tourism [2, 3], medicine [4,5,6], university education [7], or social administration [8]. Nevertheless, in the realm of cultural heritage, unlike other fields, limited research has been conducted on aspects like the multilingualism and the interface design [9] or the engagement of foreign audience [10]. An additional incentive for translating communication elements into multiple languages is their impact on tourism. This impact, by increasing the number of international visitors, directly benefits both the museum and the local community. However, it would be a misjudgment to restrict translation into foreign languages solely based on the count of physically visiting international tourists. In the creative industries, the focus extends beyond physical visitors to encompass virtual ones as well. The museum should be equally open and accessible virtually to international tourists. When the website provides comprehensive, accurate, and easily accessible information presented harmoniously and attractively, international online visitors can pave the way for physical visits. Furthermore, Soto Huerta and Huerta Migus [11] assert that placing multilingual practices at the center of the managerial mission leads to positive results for both museums and visitors.

Multilingualism is often associated with countries where there are multiple official languages. In the European context, this applies to countries like Belgium [12] and Switzerland [9]. While multilingualism in the exhibition domain represents an added value due to the country’s official multilingual character, around half of the Swiss museums communicate in a single language [13]. Cha’s study analyses multilingualism in museums from the perspective of socio-cultural integration of low-English proficiency visitors, focusing on ethnic minorities in the USA [14]. The intention to engage multilingual audiences is also observed by Martin and Jennings [15] and Garibay et al. [16].

There is a concern for multilingualism in the international digital cultural heritage as well. For instance, The Language Guide for European Business [17] proposed a scale for developing a linguistic strategy and implementing multilingualism in museums. The White Paper on Best Practices for Multilingual Access to Digital Libraries [9] compiles resources and best practices to achieve multilingual access to cultural heritage content, focusing on the notable project Europeana [18], which has sparked extensive reflections on multilingualism [19, 20]. In the discourse on cultural heritage information systems operating within multilingual environments, the study of Stilled et al. [9] dedicates an entire chapter to the interface enhancements and functionalities that foster multilingualism on website pages. This research also delved into financial, time, and effort costs, recommending the hiring of a professional translator as the prevalent approach for website translation. Financial aspects have also caught the attention of other authors. Cha’s study examined the inclusion of multiple languages in marketing strategy, leading the museum to decide which languages to translate into and, more importantly, how many they can afford [14]. The substantial costs of translations for small museums represent a significant obstacle, as the expectations of foreign visitors are different [10]. It is evident that costs, including communication strategy budget and translation expenses based on domain and difficulty, have played and continue to play a central role in the promotion strategy. This research aims to examine multilingualism in Romania’s cultural websites, adding more light to the limited existing literature.

3 Communication Strategy and Multilingual Websites

According to the Swiss Museum Association [13] a museum’s strategic communication should systematically include a linguistic dimension. Multilingual communication plays a major role in three key domains: internal organization, cultural mediation, and visitor services, including marketing and communication, and scenography. Of notable significance within this framework is the institutional website. The Swiss association emphasizes its importance, including it as one of their ‘ten commandments’, which stipulates that “The website is multilingual and offers easy navigation from one language to another. Other communication tools follow the same direction” [13]. The website serves as a foundational and enduring element of a museum’s brand, functioning as a virtual business card and the primary platform for promoting the museum’s complete array of content. The website hosts a wealth of information, ranging from enduring scholarly content such as history, section descriptions, permanent exhibitions, scientific publications, and messages from management, to practical details like location, pricing, and accessibility. Additionally, it accommodates dynamic and partly ephemeral content, including details about temporary exhibitions, educational initiatives, and media appearances. As an integral part of traditional promotional methods, the website not only presents static and dynamic text and visual information, but also provides innovative channels for disseminating content, such as virtual tours, augmented reality, QR codes, and more.

The Romanian Ministry of Culture, through the Digital Heritage Department of the National Institute of Heritage, champions innovative initiatives, with one notable example being the MUSEO&WEB-RO project. This project is dedicated to fostering website models tailored for museums with limited financial and logistical resources. Such websites are administered remotely by the museums themselves, enabling them to curate their content and manage their pages online [21]. In alignment with the regulations set forth by Law No. 311/2003 on museums and public collections, which pertains to the acquisition of prior approval for the operation and accreditation of museums and public collections, the museum is mandated to showcase cultural marketing elements, including the establishment of an internet presence [22].

4 Methodology

The quantitative analysis is grounded in the database sourced from the official website of the National Institute of Heritage, Romania, meticulously selected based on the ‘domain’ criterion. This methodological approach reveals the diverse landscape of museum entities across Romania, encompassing a wide spectrum of domains. Among this array, our focus centers on the subset of accredited and reaccredited museums, as enumerated in the 2023 Public List available on the Ministry of Culture’s website [23]. In total, this selection encompasses 133 museums, each classified under distinct activity domains: 19 art museums, 19 archaeology museums, 1 fine arts museum, 4 religious art museums, 1 old books museum, 20 ethnography museums, 2 ethnography and local history museums, 30 history museums, 1 military history museum, 12 memorial museums, 1 mixed museum, 1 numismatics museum, 2 science and technology museums, and 14 natural sciences museums. In some cases, multiple entities fall under the coordination of the same museum. However, these entities are individually listed on the official registry and are frequently situated in diverse locations within a given locality. They occupy distinct buildings and pertain to different domains of focus. Consequently, despite potentially sharing a common website or digital platform, each entity has been meticulously catalogued and inventoried as a separate entity.

Through a unit-by-unit evaluation, using the Google search engine, we determined the presence of active websites for each museum and explored indications of multilingual communication (symbols, words, and other facilities).

5 Results and Discussion

The analysis reveals that among a total of 133 accredited museums and sections, 129 possess websites written in Romanian. There is no website for the analyzed museums that is exclusively built in English, Hungarian, or any other language. The website in the national language is the one that includes indications regarding other languages.

Following our analysis (Table 1), we found that 97% of the total accredited museum entities (museums or museum sections) have websites in the Romanian language. Regarding the multilingual component, explicit references to the English language are present on websites of 40% of the nationally accredited museums in 2023, to the Hungarian language for 14%, to the German language for 10%, and to the French language for 5% of the total museums in the official list of accredited museums and sections (in 2023). Some websites employ emojis representing the respective flags of languages, while others incorporate a dropdown menu labelled “Language” showcasing available language options. In certain cases, a separate category like “Welcome to” is utilized. Typically, these indicators are positioned at the top of the webpage, although some instances place the button in the lower-right corner, potentially reducing visibility.

Table 1 Detailed presentation of the foreign language versions of the websites of accredited museums in Romania (2023)
Full size table

In the second stage of analysis, we evaluated the 129 or 133 websites in their country’s native language, Romanian, which represents the platform for multilingual information. We specifically assessed the consistency of information indicated to be in foreign languages. It is important to note that the presence of multilingual communication indicators, such as flag emojis, doesn’t automatically guarantee full translation of website content into those languages.

The analysis reveals that among a total of 133 accredited museums and sections, 121 possess websites written in Romanian, which are comprehensive and encompass a large variety of informational categories. In 8 cases, specific information appears on dedicated pages on the website of the local municipality, the County Council, the bishopric or the monastery (if it is a religious art museum), a foundation, or a university. Most websites are complex, offering a true virtual visiting experience, while others provide a minimum of necessary information. As for the lack of specific websites, in 4 cases the link was inactive at the moment of the research. We do not aim to conduct an analysis of the website's design, but rather of how it conveys information in multiple foreign languages; therefore, we refer in the following to the 129 substantial museum entities.

Regarding foreign language versions, the breakdown is as follows: out of the overall 53 instances of English language references, 42 offer consistent content in English, 8 are devoid of content, and 3 have partially translated information. The Hungarian versions exhibit notable consistency, as only 1 reference to the Hungarian language lacks substantive coverage. In 17 out of 18 instances, they feature comprehensive Hungarian content. However, notable disparities arise for the German and French versions: among the limited references to these languages, only 3 out of 13 indications in German have complete websites in this language. Regarding the 6 references to French content, 2 websites are partially composed in French, 3 are void of content, and only 1 website presents consistent information. Notably, a solitary website integrates an automated translation solution on its homepage, facilitated by Google Translate.

What could be the explanations for this multilingual deficit and what solutions exist to remedy it? The most plausible explanation is that managers or communication responsible do not give proper attention to the benefits of multilingualism. Producing information in multiple foreign languages can be a costly effort. Additionally, officials may be unwilling to allocate funds for translations or simply lack the necessary resources. Despite the fact that communication in multiple foreign languages ensures broader visibility and increases the number of cultural consumers from diverse linguistic backgrounds, accredited museums in Romania limit themselves to providing translations in English and consider it sufficient to meet the needs of international visitors. Versions in Hungarian and German languages appear in particular at museums in areas where Hungarian and German minorities reside in Romania.

One of the fastest ways to translate the contents of a website is to use Google Translate, which has improved its performance over the years. Recently, very convenient, affordable, and sufficiently accurate methods of translating content into foreign languages have emerged. Research is still in its early stages in this regard, but the translation services provided by ChatGPT are listed alongside numerous other functionalities of the model [24].

5.1 Translating the Website Using Google Translate

By translating a site’s link through Google Translate into a language other than that of the initial site, the user obtains the version of the site in the preferred language. The advantage is evident, but the disadvantage is that not all users are familiar with this functionality. Placing an automatic translation button on the original website with a link to Google Translate would save users from manually entering the link into the translation application.

The foreign language version is created live, and the user can navigate through each page using the menu, where they will find the complete information in their chosen language. The experience is identical to browsing the website in its original version: the same design, and the same information, but in the chosen foreign language. The experience is pleasant, and the visitor feels comfortable, seamlessly integrating the information in a harmonious way, even visualizing dynamic elements typical of the original website, such as scrolling images or background videos. Simulations have shown that displaying information in the foreign language generally works smoothly. Translation through Google Translate is the fastest and most efficient, and offers increasingly better translation options, despite occasional hesitations and errors. Overall, it remains a highly useful tool for the virtual visitor.

5.2 Using AI Capabilities like ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an extraordinary facilitator for creating original content and obtaining multilingual content. Launched in late 2022, ChatGPT is primarily known for its ability to generate text that can be easily used for creating brand strategies, slogans, and original messages, but these aspects are related to the brand and require official steps.

For virtual users, ChatGPT can be quickly utilized to obtain concise answers related to the heritage presented on the website. For example, after taking a virtual tour of a Brancusi exhibition on the website of the National Museum of Art of Romania, a visitor may want to learn more information about a particular exhibit, which might not be directly available. Through ChatGPT, visitors can obtain an instant response in any language they prefer.

Much less is talked about ChatGPT and its ability to translate extensive texts in and from numerous languages with high accuracy and without financial costs. Even the costs in terms of time and effort are minimal because once the languages for the multilingual strategy are defined, ChatGPT offers translation services in any foreign language within a few minutes. With minimal human supervision, the translations are very accurate and competitive.

A museum that aims to diversify its offerings by creating versions in multiple foreign languages now has a competitive alternative to the traditional route of translations carried out by professional or volunteer native speakers. The main effort in using translations with the help of ChatGPT is to input consistent text fragments into the Artificial Intelligence, formulate a translation request in any desired language, and ChatGPT instantly provides precise and grammatically correct versions that can be saved in the application’s memory or deleted. If a museum officially wishes to create versions of the website in other languages, it can easily retrieve the translations with minimal effort and upload them to the site, on dedicated pages in the desired foreign language(s).

A multilingual website, which traditionally remains a primary source of documentation, has been conditioned by financial limitations until now. The advent of Artificial Intelligence can eliminate this constraint. ChatGPT offers an extraordinary way to obtain instant translations in and from any foreign language without significant human effort. These translated texts can fuel websites and provide physical and virtual visitors with the opportunity to access content in as many foreign languages as possible. In its current form, Google Translate and ChatGPT complement each other. As an interface, Google Translate delivers friendlier versions, identical to the original website. However, ChatGPT delivers more precise and grammatically correct text versions in most foreign languages.

6 Conclusions

In the communication strategy of a museum, the linguistic component plays a crucial role. Although multilingualism represents a cultural, social, and economic added value, widely acknowledged as such, there is a deficit of multilingual information on websites in the creative industries. This article presents the situation of accredited museums in Romania, but the evaluation could be extended to other countries or other branches of the creative industries. It is important to note that these observations are subject to a limitation posed by the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence. Besides ChatGPT, the most known in this moment, there are other AI applications that have already entered the market or are preparing to do so.

Innovation in the services sector comes from research and development in topics such as the extension/augmentation of the physical environment, through the support of artificial intelligence and robots. In particular, research is focusing on: artificial intelligence and service automation [25]; augmented and virtual reality [26]; cross reality environments [27]; culturally adaptive agents, chatbots and avatars [28] among others. ChatGPT itself will certainly optimize its interface and functionalities in the not-too-distant future, allowing for the generation of versions in other languages while preserving the design of the original website, enriching with new options and features. Boosting the multilingualism of websites in digital cultural heritage with ChatGPT is ultimately a matter of choice and decision.