Effectiveness of translated museum labels and visitor engagement: A study of Tehran museums

Abstract

Museums are important educational spaces where exhibit labels serve as key tools for conveying information. For labels to be effective, they must capture visitors’ attention, sustain their interest, and encourage reading. According to Bitgood (2010), visitor attention progresses through three stages: capture, focus, and engagement, with label effectiveness contributing to the engagement stage. This study evaluates the effectiveness of 706 Persian labels and their English translations across 14 museums in Tehran, employing a framework of 23 effectiveness criteria. To further examine how label effectiveness translates into actual visitor behavior, an observational phase was conducted in two museums, where local and foreign visitors’ reading behaviors were analyzed in relation to the most effective labels in their respective languages. This phase aimed to assess whether highly effective labels successfully engaged visitors.