IASA 2022 Annual Conference

In the constantly evolving field of digital preservation, documentation around best practices and global standards provides a crucial tool for institutions developing preservation workflows; it’s also vital for the cross-institutional exchanges, partnerships and projects that support and strengthen the field. However, language barriers severely limit the accessibility of this documentation. Additionally, when translation projects do occur, they often rely on volunteer labor, placing additional burdens on bilingual preservation professionals who hope to make documentation accessible beyond the hegemony of English as a global language. In this presentation, Rebecca Fraimow (project manager) and Lorena Ramírez-López (head of translation team) will discuss the NEH-funded translation of documentation around the PBCore cataloging standard into Spanish. Topics will include the process of writing translation funding into the grant, decision-making around direct translation versus re-creation of example documentation in different contexts, and the process of outreach and website development to ensure that Spanish-language users are able to access the documentation. The goal is to present the project as a potential model for continuation of similar work in the future and further open up possibilities for global exchange within the field.