What I do
Interpretation is, essentially, storytelling. It's my job to tell a story about a person, thing or place: bringing the subject to life in such a way that people can relate to it, appreciate and understand it - and take something of the experience away with them.
Often, it's about revealing links between bits of information that people already know - rather than feeding them completely new 'facts and figures'.
Not everyone is a natural interpreter. We’ve all seen panels and leaflets crammed with technical jargon and thought “I’m not going to bother reading THAT!” Some ‘interpretation’ projects fail simply because they don’t bridge the gap between the knowledgeable enthusiast and the ordinary person who is just trying to have a day out!
Bridging that communication gap is what I do. Like a language interpreter, I'm a go-between: translating and explaining what the 'experts' are saying.
Mainly concentrating on rural life, natural history and landscape, I’ve been interpreting our heritage for a variety of audiences for over 20 years. I’ve done this by writing and editing text for publications and websites; using my own photographs; commissioning illustrations and working closely with designers. Also the occasional bit of dressing up!
(You can read about that in 'Put the Piggy Down, Geoffrey!')
Often, it's about revealing links between bits of information that people already know - rather than feeding them completely new 'facts and figures'.
Not everyone is a natural interpreter. We’ve all seen panels and leaflets crammed with technical jargon and thought “I’m not going to bother reading THAT!” Some ‘interpretation’ projects fail simply because they don’t bridge the gap between the knowledgeable enthusiast and the ordinary person who is just trying to have a day out!
Bridging that communication gap is what I do. Like a language interpreter, I'm a go-between: translating and explaining what the 'experts' are saying.
Mainly concentrating on rural life, natural history and landscape, I’ve been interpreting our heritage for a variety of audiences for over 20 years. I’ve done this by writing and editing text for publications and websites; using my own photographs; commissioning illustrations and working closely with designers. Also the occasional bit of dressing up!
(You can read about that in 'Put the Piggy Down, Geoffrey!')