British Museum Apologizes After Plagiarism Row

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Facts

  • On Thursday, the British Museum apologized to Chinese-Canadian writer Yilin Wang for using her translations without attribution in the museum's temporary exhibition China's Hidden Century.1
  • In a statement, the museum said that permissions and acknowledgment for Wang's translations "had been inadvertently omitted" due to an "unintentional human error" and that it has offered financial payment.2
  • The controversy started last week after Wang took to Twitter and accused the museum of copyright infringement, posting, "I think you owe me some money for printing and exhibiting my translations."3
  • Wang claimed the translations were also featured without attribution in the museum's online guide and printed catalog about the exhibition.3
  • In response to the museum's apology, Wang said: "The public statement does not feel sincerely apologetic in my opinion. It never said 'we are sorry' anywhere."2
  • The museum has reportedly informed Wang that her work won't be acknowledged in the exhibition as it has been removed following the complaint but is now acknowledged in the catalog.4

Sources: 1Museums Association, 2The Art Newspaper, 3CNN, and 4Artnet News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Guardian. The exhibition involved over 100 scholars from 14 countries, so it's possible the museum's staff erred in giving Wang credit. The British Museum's apology highlights it didn't intend to plagiarize the translations, and it has already made amends by offering to compensate for Wang's work.
  • Narrative B, as provided by CNN. The museum's response sounds passive, lacks accountability, and undermines the labor and artistic expertise Wang put into the translations. It highlights the larger and long-lasting issue of translators' work being obscured and uncredited — especially the work of women and people of color.