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I understand that this is not a popular opinion, but I think it needs to be 
said.  Depending on where you are located (because there are some 
exceptions), bilingual signs actually send a message of exclusion rather 
than inclusion.  In my community we have large Hispanic, Laotian and 
Croatian populations.  A bilingual sign (Spanish/American English), says to 
those who don't speak Spanish or English "sorry, but this museum isn't for 
you".  On the other hand, by using the one predominate language you are not 
excluding anyone, just working within social norms.  Fortunately, technology 
has made language translation so easy now all signs can be translated into 
audio versions.  I also heard the other day that there is a Droid app that 
takes a text based sign and translates it to any (I'm somewhat skeptical of 
that) language.  So, I reccommend caution regarding bilingual signage.
Monica
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Monica Post
MPR Museum Consulting
105 NE 64th Street
Des Moines, IA 50327
****Phone: 515 249-2222  ****  This is new!
www.MPRconsultants.com
 

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