Tips for writing interpretation
- Keep it short and sweet! Short paragraphs, mostly short sentences, simple vivid words and easy punctuation
- Use simple, familiar language avoiding jargon or technical terms
- Layer your text – so if people only read the headline they’ve got the gist of the story. If they want more, then it’s in the layers beneath the headline
- Aim your text at 9 -12 year olds – that’s a comfortable reading age for most people when they are in a leisure situation, outdoors and in a group. It also helps to make it as accessible to as many people as possible
- Keep the text to a minimum – brief text can enthuse, while reams are likely to confuse. For panels, aim for about 150-200 words in all, with paragraphs of around 50 words. Don’t forget you may need both Welsh and English – so that’s only a maximum of 100 words per language. A straight translation may not be your best option – there may be a different story to tell in each language
- Allow time for translation if you decide to produce your interpretation in more than one language
- For printed materials, aim for a good balance between text, images and space; with a maximum of half the space being text, so that it doesn’t look daunting
- Interpretation is about communicating ideas not just a string of factsOne idea per sentence
- Make it personal and friendly – use words like ‘you’, ‘we’ and ‘them’
- Make it active and present tense rather than passive
- Bring your writing alive by involving as many senses as possible – include information about sounds, smells, tastes and touch as well as sight
- Use metaphors and comparisons to help relate your facts to visitors’ lives – such as You could fit 15 double-decker buses into this tower or This garden is like a motorway service station for birds
- Use some humour where appropriate
- Think about telling a story using a character to bring your interpretation to life
- Ask questions and get your audience to use their imaginations
- Avoid clichés ‘like the plague’!
- Remember your visitors are on a good day out – don’t preach or hassle
- Test it out on friends and colleagues
- Be positive – you don’t want to depress your readers!
And when words fail you, use good, clear pictures or images. They really can say more than a thousand words – and more people understand them.
