Translating The Mystery of Banksy catalogue into Swedish
Novoterm provided a translation into Swedish of the catalogue for an exhibition entitled The Mystery of Banksy – A Genius Mind when the exhibition came to Stockholm.
The Mystery of Banksy – A Genius Mind
The Mystery of Banksy – A Genius Mind is an international exhibition showcasing some of Banksy’s most significant works. During the summer of 2023, the exhibition came to Gothenburg, but the Swedish catalogue that was sold in connection with the show was met with harsh criticism.
A former board member of SFÖ, the Swedish Association of Professional Translators, even described it in his missive to Swedish daily newspaper Göteborgs Posten as a “translation scandal” and said that charging for it was “pure theft”. Aware of the problem in Gothenburg and in advance of the exhibition’s arrival in Stockholm, we contacted the company that was due to stage the exhibition in Stockholm – Julius Production. We offered our translation services to ensure that visitors to the Stockholm exhibition would get a better Swedish catalogue and they accepted!
About Julius Production
Julius Production is an events and production company that creates and manages a number of different events in Sweden and Norway, including concerts, musicals and exhibitions. In addition to The Mystery of Banksy – A Genius Mind, its most prominent productions include The Elton John Experience, Grease and TINA – The Queen of Rock n’ Roll Show.
Client
Julius Production
Sector
Art | Events and production
Services
Proofreading and translation
Conditions and challenges
Julius Production entrusted us with the task of translating the 15,000-word English catalogue into Swedish. The project involved challenges on several different levels, from flaws in the source material to the complex nature of the art.
Abstractions and surrealism
The double meaning of the art along with its surrealistic and abstract nature makes the texts even more complex to translate.
Flaws in the original text
The original English text contained several inaccuracies and spelling mistakes that needed to be corrected. Even some of the artists’ names had been misspelt.
Previous criticism
Because of the negative reaction that the original Swedish translation in the Gothenburg catalogue had provoked, we were under pressure to deliver something really good.
How we approach this assignment
The project required a combination of meticulous proofreading and translation. We chose a translator who we know to be stylistically talented and extremely thorough in order to ensure that the Swedish flowed naturally and was easy to understand. We also asked for photographs of the artworks to enable us to better describe Banksy’s works in text form, as the English wasn’t always detailed enough.
Carefully selected and specialised translator
Choosing the right translator was crucial to turn a fact-filled, complex but imperfect original text into an informative, inspiring and easy-to-read Swedish catalogue.
Combination of proofreading and translation
The assignment was more than a translation; it also involved identifying and correcting errors in the original text – from spelling mistakes to incorrect artwork names – to make sure that the end product contained accurate information.
Visual support for correct interpretation of the artwork
Working with images of the artwork made it easier to understand and describe Banksy’s artistic expression, particularly as the original text was weak and incomplete. The end result was text that was more accurate, impactful and vivid.
The end result
Both we and Julius Production were very happy with the catalogue. In fact Julius Production were so happy that they chose to commission us to translate the texts into Norwegian for the exhibition in Oslo. We can also assume that the visitors to the exhibition were happy with the catalogue as nobody wrote in with any negative criticism about us.
Improved experience for museum visitors
The language in the new catalogue maintained a high standard and gave the visitors a more comprehensible and accessible introduction to the exhibition and the art.
Continuing cooperation in other markets
The successful outcome resulted in the assignment being expanded to include translation of artwork descriptions into Norwegian for the exhibition in Oslo.
“We have commissioned Novoterm twice and on both occasions they have delivered on time despite short deadlines. Our collaboration with them has been smooth and professional and they went the extra mile to ensure that everything was perfect. Would definitely recommend.”
Why was a professional translator necessary?
Translations by professional linguists contrast starkly with translations done with the help of AI and without the involvement of an experienced, knowledgeable translator. Professional translators don’t just produce an accurate translation of the original material – they are also able to spot and remedy any flaws in the source text, which ensures that they deliver a high quality final product.
Below is a good example of how a reflective translator can spot and correct mistakes in the original text and translation. An “AI translator”, or a translator lacking ambition would just generate text/put in the least amount of effort without raising any questions and finding solutions. Here is the description of the Barcode Leopard artwork in the English text we were supplied with:
The girl holding a bomb, the tiger escaping the barcode cage and other early stencil pieces are still among his most powerful, where the familiar is juxtaposed with unexpectedly unfamiliar.
The earlier version was just a straight translation as opposed to the translator taking time to look at the artwork, spotting that the animal is in fact a leopard, not a tiger, and correcting the mistake.
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