What Is The Purpose Of Interpretation?
As a company that specialises in audio visual interpretation products, to do a good job it’s important we understand the purpose of interpretation, and what good interpretation can actually accomplish for a site or museum.
What is Interpretation?
In the simplest of terms, interpretation is the way that information is shared with the general public. When speaking about interpretation for heritage sites, many assume that it’s just about relaying some facts and figures, which really isn’t the case. At it’s core, interpretation is about engaging visitors and helping them understand the significance of the site – to understand its role in history and/or the modern day.
It’s meant to provoke the public and engage them in a way that relaying chunks of uninspired information just can’t do.
1. To Teach
At it’s most basic, interpretation is there to teach people something.
Heritage is incredibly important, it shaped the world we live in today and understanding exactly how is vital. Good interpretation is all about helping visitors learn and understand and is many times linked to education, especially where school trips are concerned. Thanks to effective interpretation students are able to take something away from your site and pass it on to others.
2. To Enhance the Visitor Experience
Interpretation should help the information to life and make visitors feel closer to a sites heritage. This isn’t an easy job however, first you need to research information worth sharing, and then you need to share it in such a way that is memorable. Our range of audio visual interpretation products are designed to do just that.
3. To Engage
The easiest way to ensure visitors leaving your site having learned something new is to use interpretation that keeps them engaged.
If there are visitors who go to a heritage site and leave feeling underwhelmed or bored, then the interpretation hasn’t done its job. It needs to be able to grab people’s attention and draw them into the world of the site.
People are more likely to remember something if it’s shared in an engaging way.
4. To be Accessible
People from all walks of life will visit heritage sites, making accessibility vital. Fortunately, there are ways to offer interpretation in many forms. If you have visitors that are visually impaired or hard of hearing, a smart combination of both audio and visual interpretation can work well.
Relying on a single medium to share information – be it standard signage, audio or video – could mean alienating a key audience. Therefore using a combination of each is always the best approach. Also consider how your interpretation caters to various age groups and languages.
5. To Promote Your Site
With good interpretation comes good promotion. If you can create a fun and informative visitor experience through your choice of interpretation, your visitors will let others know about it, whether through social media, online review sites or word of mouth. Here at Blackbox, we offer a range of bespoke products and services that are guaranteed to get people talking.
Get in Touch!
Hopefully this article has helped you understand the purpose of interpretation and why it’s so important for heritage sites and museums. Check out our portfolio to see some examples of our more recent work in the interpretation world.
If there’s anything you’d like to ask, feel free to leave a comment below, tweet us or head on over to our contact page and get in touch!
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