Dear Delegates,

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the Symposium on Heritage Communication, an interdisciplinary gathering of scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and cultural advocates who share a deep commitment to understanding and advancing the ways in which heritage is communicated in today’s rapidly changing world.

In an era marked by globalisation, technological acceleration, and heightened intercultural encounters, the communication of heritage has taken on new urgency and complexity. Heritage communication is no longer confined to the preservation of artifacts or the retelling of traditional narratives. Instead, it has evolved into a dynamic, participatory process—one that shapes identity, fosters collective memory, nurtures belonging, and encourages intercultural dialogue. It involves not only the transmission of the past but also the transformation of cultural meanings in light of contemporary realities.

From oral storytelling traditions and intangible cultural expressions to digital archives, virtual museums, machine-assisted translation, and social media campaigns, the modes through which heritage is communicated today are diverse, innovative, and often decentralised. This growing complexity is both a challenge and an opportunity: a challenge in maintaining authenticity, sensitivity, and inclusivity; and an opportunity to reimagine how heritage can be mobilised for education, sustainability, social cohesion, and global understanding.

This symposium is especially timely as heritage communication stands at a transformative intersection where technology, identity, ethics, and public engagement converge. As heritage becomes increasingly digitised, dematerialised, and globalised, we must reconsider traditional boundaries—between source and audience, expert and community, local and global. In this context, translation studies emerges as a key discipline, offering crucial insights into the processes of linguistic and cultural transfer that underlie how heritage is shared, interpreted, and experienced across languages, regions, and worldviews.

Throughout this symposium, we aim to explore critical questions:

• How can we ensure that heritage communication is both respectful of cultural specificity and responsive to contemporary needs?

• What role do institutions, translators, educators, and digital platforms play in mediating heritage narratives?

• How can we leverage emerging technologies to democratise access to heritage while safeguarding ethical and intellectual integrity?

This event brings together voices from linguistics, anthropology, history, digital humanities, translation studies, museology, media, and cultural policy, each contributing to a richer and more nuanced understanding of heritage communication. By facilitating dialogue across disciplines and borders, the symposium seeks to generate fresh perspectives, foster collaborative partnerships, and inspire actionable strategies for future research and practice.

We are especially honoured to host a diverse and vibrant community of participants who are not only documenting and preserving heritage, but also reinvigorating it as a living, evolving resource for future generations. Your presence here reflects a shared dedication to making heritage not only visible, but accessible, inclusive, and meaningful in the lives of people today.

On behalf of the organising committee, we extend our warmest welcome and heartfelt appreciation. May this symposium be a space of insight, inspiration, and enduring connection in the vital field of heritage communication.