Translation in an age of global travel : some issues

This paper examines some of the issues pertaining to crosscultural translation in contexts where heritage (natural and cultural) is being interpreted for international tourists. Given the assumed importance of heritage interpretation as a means of educating visitors about heritage conservation values (and thus the protection of heritage places for the present-future) cross-cultural heritage interpretation assumes greater significance. Three sites are described: 1. Orsanmichele, Florence 2. Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Central Australia 3. Sukhothai Historical Park, Thailand Interpretation, and the context of the interpretation, at these sites illustrates the enormous complexity that is involved with regard to cross-cultural translation and, consequently, the considerable challenges heritage sites face in a time of (expected) increased global exposure of these sites to international tourism. The extensive cross-cultural translation research literature provides a useful starting point for articulating the difficulties and the controversies.