Walk through the museum, and you’ll immediately notice Spanish text displayed in bold, prominent font. That’s a departure from many museums, where Spanish is often tucked beneath English in a smaller font.
Patrick Turner, the museum’s chief advancement officer, said that choice is intentional.
“Graphically, we tried to treat the Spanish and the English equally,” Turner said, “Oftentimes in a museum setting, you'll see English big and bold and then Spanish underneath, often in a lighter typeface and in italics. We didn't want to have that Spanish translation feel secondary to the English content.”
In fact, Turner said the content for the energy exhibition was written in Spanish first, rather than translated from English. They hope this will help avoid mistranslations.
The museum also uses local translators instead of automated tools to better capture the cultural nuances of Spanish.
Discovery Science has extended that focus to staffing, prioritizing bilingual employees on the floor.
“There are certainly families who come in where the adults solely speak Spanish, and the kids can speak English and Spanish,” Turner said. “But sometimes the kids are a little reluctant to interact with the adults who work here.”
The museum also engages with the local Latino community by attending events like Fiesta on Wells — not just translating exhibits, but building relationships outside its walls.
“The discovery is for everyone,” Turner said. “And we encourage everyone in our community to visit, regardless of your age, the language you speak, your interests. We want people to come here and learn and explore science.”
Looking ahead, Turner said the Discovery Museum plans to continue developing exhibits in Spanish first to ensure the content maintains its integrity.
