Plain language is the fastest accessibility win for museums

Accessibility is not only about ramps and contrast

When museums talk about accessibility, the conversation often turns to physical conditions, screen readers, contrast ratios and technical standards.

That matters. But there is another improvement many museums overlook, even though it is often the fastest to carry out:

plain language.

If a visitor does not understand the text on your website, in the ticketing flow, on the labels or in the audio guide, the experience is in practice less accessible.

That is not only true for people with disabilities. It is also true for:

• international tourists
• children and young people
• older visitors
• guests who are tired, stressed or in a hurry
• anyone who listens to text instead of reading it

Plain language does not make the content less intelligent. It makes it easier to use.

What does "plain language" actually mean?

WHO recommends that specialist and technical information is turned into messages that non-experts can understand. W3C points to the same principles in its guidance on cognitive accessibility: short sentences, everyday words, a clear structure and less ambiguity.

Plain language typically means:

• everyday words rather than jargon
• short sentences rather than heavy phrasing
• one point at a time
• clear headings
• concrete instructions
• fewer unnecessary parentheses, asides and abstractions

AccessibleEU also highlights plain language as relevant for information aimed at the general public, not only specialised audiences. That makes the subject highly relevant for museums.

Where museums typically lose visitors through language

Many museums write well from a specialist point of view. They do not always write well from a visitor's point of view.

That often shows up in four places:

1. Exhibition texts

The labels are written as mini academic articles. The sentences become long, the terms become heavy, and the point arrives too late.

2. Website and booking

Homepages and ticket pages use institutional language that is precise internally, but unclear to the visitor.

3. Audio guides

Texts that work in print do not necessarily work well as audio. When something has to be listened to, the language needs to be simpler.

4. Practical information

Opening hours, access, cloakroom, parking and rules are often described too compactly or too indirectly.

Why plain language matters even more in audio guides

When a guest is listening, they cannot skim back in the same way as they can on a panel or a web page.

That means audio guide texts should be even more direct than ordinary museum texts.

A good audio guide typically uses:

• short sentences
• a clear sequence
• few specialist terms
• active language
• concrete images and actions

That is also why plain language is one of the easiest ways to improve both accessibility and quality at once. A text that is easier to understand is usually also easier to listen to.

A quick example

Here is the difference between museum prose and plain language:

Heavy version:
"The work thematises the fragmentation of the late-modern horizon of experience through a multilayered investigation of materiality, identity and spatial perception."

Plain version:
"The work is about how modern people experience the world as fragmented and changeable. The artist shows this through materials, space and identity."

The second version is no less serious. It is simply easier to understand on a first reading or a first listen.

7 places museums should write more clearly right now

If you want to improve the experience quickly, start here:

1. The homepage's main message

   • Can a first-time visitor understand what the museum offers in a few seconds?

2. Ticketing and practical information

   • Are price, opening hours and access easy to find and understand?

3. Labels and gallery texts

   • Does the main point come early?

4. Audio guide scripts

   • Is the text written to be listened to, not just read?

5. QR pages

   • Is the language simple enough for mobile use on the move?

6. Error messages and forms

   • Does the user get told exactly what is missing?

7. Multilingual content

   • Is the original text kept simple enough that it is also easier to translate well?

Plain language also helps SEO and translations

There is a practical gain here that many people overlook.

When the original text is clear:

• translations typically become better
• AI-based translations become less uncertain
• audio guides become easier to produce
• landing pages become easier to understand
• search intent becomes easier to match in Google

In other words, plain language is not only an accessibility move. It is also an operations and marketing move.

A simple writing guide for museums

If you want to make a text more accessible, use this rule of thumb:

1. Put the most important point in the first or second sentence.
2. Use everyday words before specialist terms.
3. Explain specialist words when they are necessary.
4. Break long sections up.
5. Write in the active voice rather than the passive.
6. Remove sentences that only sound academic without helping the reader.
7. Read the text aloud. If it is heavy to say, it is often also heavy to understand.

That last point is especially useful for audio guides. If the text does not sound natural in the mouth, it rarely sounds natural in the ear.

What museums can do this week

You do not need to start with the organisation's entire body of text. Start with one small area and measure the effect.

A good start is:

• choose one popular exhibition
• rewrite three labels in clearer language
• rewrite the most important text on the homepage or in the ticketing flow
• test the audio guide script by reading it aloud
• ask someone without a specialist background to explain what the text means

If they understand the message more quickly, you are on the right track.

Where our solution fits in

If you work with multilingual audio guides, plain language becomes even more important. A clear original text leads to better translations, better AI narration and a better listening experience for the visitor.

That means the work on plain language does not just improve one touchpoint. It improves the whole chain from text to translation to audio.

Try a demo of our audio guide solution and hear how your own text works as audio.

Sources and further reading

• WHO: Use plain language
• W3C: Use Clear and Understandable Content
• W3C: Use Clear Words
• AccessibleEU: ISO 24495-1:2023 Plain language
• UNESCO: Museum for Everyone: Accessible Museums, Inclusive Future
• UNESCO: Call for Good Practices: Museums for Everyone

About the author:
Thøger Elung-Jensen is co-founder of Audioguiden and works to help museums use AI to bring their interpretation to more people.