University of Birjand Applied Linguistics Inquiry 2821-0441 Articles in Press 2026 09 30 Museum Translation and Social Sustainability: The Case of Omidvar Brothers Museum 4147 10.22077/ali.2026.11046.1233 EN Fatemeh Parham Associate Professor of Translation Studies, Department of English Translation Studies, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran 0000-0003-4509-1279 Samin Salajegheh PhD Candidate in Translation Studies, Department of English Translation Studies, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran 0000-0002-1630-8101 Journal Article 2026 02 21 The present study examines how the translation of exhibit labels in museums influences visitor engagement and contribute to the social sustainability of museums, using Omidvar Brothers Museum in Tehran as a case study. The research was conducted in two stages. First, the effectiveness of 196 exhibit labels was assessed using the Label Effectiveness Measurement Framework, and three label pairs with the highest scores were selected for observation. Second, visitor engagement was measured through label reading behavior, capturing both the proportion of visitors reading the labels and the duration of reading, for Iranian visitors interacting with Persian labels and foreign visitors interacting with English translations. The results indicate that translated labels enhanced engagement among foreign visitors, with an engagement rate of 83.33%, compared to 73.91% for Iranian visitors, while Iranian visitors spent more time reading the labels on average. Overall, the introduction of bilingual labels increased the museum’s total engagement rate, demonstrating that translation effectively expands audience reach and enhances social sustainability. These findings highlight translation as not merely a linguistic tool but an institutional strategy for inclusion, emphasizing the importance of label design and curatorial decisions in fostering meaningful visitor engagement.