British Museum apologizes for using the Canadian translator’s work without permission
The British Museum says it removed the work of a Canadian translator from the exhibition after using the translations without permission, attribution or compensation.
The museum says Yilin Wang’s translations of poems by 19th-century revolutionary Qiu Jin were displayed in the “China’s Hidden Century” exhibition, as well as accompanying brochures, though it says the catalog recognizes her work.
The institution says it has apologized and offered to pay Yilin Wang for the time her translations were shown.
The British Museum says “unintentional human error” led to the light.
On Twitter, Wang says her translations are labor-intensive and her work should be properly acknowledged.
The British Columbia-based writer says she is still in contact with the museum.
“This was an incredibly and unnecessarily frustrating experience after experiencing copyright infringement,” Wang tweeted. “I urge the British Museum to engage with me in good faith to show they are truly apologetic. Otherwise I cannot and will not accept their apology.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 23, 2023.
