formidle, formidling

14:17 Aug 30, 2012 

I actually think German might be the source for "mediate" in this particular context, as indicated in the article I linked to above. The author has some significant credentials in curating, and her use of English in the piece is otherwise competent. I think "mediate" is jargon in this instance, but I know little of the art world.

13:50 Aug 30, 2012 

Concise Oxford:

mediate
n verb
1 intervene in a dispute to bring about an agreement or reconciliation.
2 technical be a medium for (a process or effect).
n adjective involving an intermediate agency.

DERIVATIVES
mediately adverb
mediation noun
mediator noun
mediatory adjective

ORIGIN
Middle English (as an adjective in the sense 'interposed'): from late Latin mediatus, mediare 'place in the middle', from Latin medius 'middle'.

And the Advanced Learner's:
3. Formal or technical
to influence something and/or make it possible for it to happen
Educational success is mediated by economic factors.

... But that is still a long way off what is usually meant by ´formidle´ in Danish.

08:22 Aug 29, 2012 

One of the big subjects at library school in the 1970s was Dissemination of Information - and that meant getting the right results to the right people. Our training was for research and academic libraries - where people went before Google, and still go for in-depth studies. I always feel it is too heavy for the average 'Experience-based' modern museum.

Interpretation is better, especially in an artistic context. Maybe a little more controversial, or perhaps just honest, with history!

This job is slightly off my usual beat, but not far in fact.

Thanks for all comments so far!

23:20 Aug 28, 2012 

This is indeed a very problematic term and many museum professionels are frustrated about it. I think you have to choose either "interpretation" or "dissemination". "Formidling" covers many things from just presentation of raw data and artefacts to much more interpretive presentations (the media can be exhibitions, publications, activities etc.) and I don't think there is an exact equivalent in English. If you Google "museum interpretation" there is a quite clear picture that this is a standard term for various kinds of "formidling". On the other hand: In the Danish museum bill "formidling" is mentioned as one of the 5 pillars (along with "indsamling", "bevaring", "konservering", "forskning") and the English translation here for "formidling" is "disseminate" § 2 (http://www.kulturarv.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/kulturarv/engl... Having worked in the sector though, it is my impression that "interpretation" is most often used. (Also gives much more Google result than "museum dissemination"

21:40 Aug 28, 2012 

Express and communicate are good suggestions. Convey might be another option depending on the context. I would definitely, like you suggest yourself, alternate between various expressions. If you need help with a specific sentence, don't hesitate to send it my way for feedback. Good luck Christine!

21:31 Aug 28, 2012 

I'm not especially competent with such texts, so take this with a grain of salt. I might not be so quick to discard "mediate": http://www.marysialewandowska.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05...
This might one of those occasions when there's some German lurking in the background. It often gives me fits with academic texts.