The British Visiting the Netherlands: Cross-Cultural Communication in Museum Marketing

This thesis aimed to determine whether and to what extent the quality of translations can be improved by taking into account differences in cross-cultural discourses and communication. In particular, this thesis researched the quality of translations of Dutch online museum marketing texts into British English and the possibility of improving this quality by using a dimensional model of culture. It was expected that Dutch respondents would favour the original translated text, as it paralleled the original text which was written for a Dutch audience and that British respondents would favour the new translated text, as it was adapted to fit the communicative needs of a British audience. The results of this thesis did not meet the expectations. The choice of translation only significantly differed between nationalities on the dimension long-term orientation. No significant differences were found on the dimensions Tough versus Tender Index and Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Furthermore,...Show moreThis thesis aimed to determine whether and to what extent the quality of translations can be improved by taking into account differences in cross-cultural discourses and communication. In particular, this thesis researched the quality of translations of Dutch online museum marketing texts into British English and the possibility of improving this quality by using a dimensional model of culture. It was expected that Dutch respondents would favour the original translated text, as it paralleled the original text which was written for a Dutch audience and that British respondents would favour the new translated text, as it was adapted to fit the communicative needs of a British audience. The results of this thesis did not meet the expectations. The choice of translation only significantly differed between nationalities on the dimension long-term orientation. No significant differences were found on the dimensions Tough versus Tender Index and Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Furthermore, both the statistical results and the qualitative survey responses on all dimensions were not as expected. There were some indications that individuals remarked on certain changes in the text, but there was no evidence that supported the hypothesis that Dutch respondents would notice different cultural markers than the British respondents. Overall, the new translated text was preferred over the original translated text (67% said they preferred the new translated text) and the new translated text was, in general, commented on in a more positive way than the original translated text. This means that while the results did not prove that cultural dimensions were a determining factor in choice of translation, the texts that were translated by a professional bilingual translator using systematic translation assessment and a cultural dimensional model were preferred and valued more positively.Show less

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The British Visiting the Netherlands: Cross-Cultural Communication in Museum Marketing