British Museum used Vancouver-based translator's work in exhibit without permission

Vancouver-based translator Yilin Wang says her original translations of the poetry of Qiu Jin, a Chinese feminist author, were used without permission or credit in an exhibit at the British Museum in London.

After Wang raised her allegations of copyright infringement on Twitter, the British Museum issued a statement acknowledging that her work had been included in the exhibit through "unintentional human error."

The museum says it has apologized to Wang and removed the translations from the exhibit.

But Wang says her conversations with the British Museum have been "needlessly frustrating." She said the museum initially declined to apologize for using her work without permission after she reached out over email, and instead said she was one of 400 people in 20 countries who "helped" make the exhibit possible. 

Wang says she is considering her next steps, as she claims the museum is refusing to credit her in the exhibit and has removed the original versions of Qiu Jin's poetry from the exhibit along with her own work.

"It's another form of erasure that's happening," she said. "I cannot accept their apology right now, because it rings hollow."

'We made an inadvertent mistake': museum

Qiu Jin was a Chinese revolutionary known best for feminist championing of women's rights. The exhibit, China's Hidden Century, focuses on the civil uprisings and wars that took place during the Qing dynasty in China. It was developed as part of a four-year international research project led by the British Museum and London University, and charges an £18 admission fee (about $30) for adults.

"This was a particularly complicated project and we recognise we made an inadvertent mistake and fell short of our usual standards," the British Museum wrote in a statement. 

The museum also condemned "personal attacks" on scholars associated with the exhibit, which it said have taken place on social media.

The British Museum said they have taken the translations down and offered Wang payment for the time her work appeared in the exhibit, as well as their continued use in the exhibition catalogue.

According to Wang, the museum offered to pay her £150 (about $252) and requested she sign a permission form for the continued use of her work in the catalogue. 

Copyright an ongoing clash for translators

Wang says she first heard about the exhibit through friends, who recognized her translations and asked if she had been involved. 

Right away, Wang says she recognized her own work, as she knows her translations intimately, adding she spends a lot of time considering her word choice as she rereads and edits her work — with most translations going through 10 to 15 drafts before publication.

She told CBC News the translations were originally published in Asymptote literary magazine and the L.A. Review of Books — China Channel.

"If I encountered them somewhere else, I can recognize them because I've thought through the word choice so much," Wang said. 

"So right away when I encounter certain lines ... I know this is obviously my translation, like there's no doubt."

While Wang was surprised to see the British Museum use her work without consent, she says defending the copyright rights over her work is an ongoing battle for her and other translators.

A few weeks ago, she says, she had just concluded another copyright dispute with a literary magazine that had printed her translations without sending a contract to her or the original poet.

Wang feels the British Museum has the power to set an important precedent for how translators are treated through updated policies and protocols. 

"They absolutely have a responsibility to respect copyright and not infringe on people's creative works and intellectual property," she said.

"Especially given the British Museum's history of housing stolen and looted items."

The British Museum declined to speak with CBC News in an interview for this story. In the statement, it said that the museum takes copyright permissions seriously and typically makes "every effort" to contact the owners of work it uses.