British Museum settles with translator Yilin Wang over unauthorized use of Qiu Jin poem translations in exhibition

The British Museum has settled with translator Yilin Wang after using her translations of Qiu Jin's poems without permission, credit, or compensation in the exhibition 'China's Hidden Century: 1796–1912'. Wang crowdfunded over £17,000 to pursue legal action through the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court. Her translations appeared in exhibition signage, a video presentation, and the accompanying catalogue. The museum has apologized, provided payment, and will reinstate the translations after initially removing them. Additionally, it will match the license fee with a donation to support Chinese poetry translators. Organized by British Museum curator Jessica Harrison-Hall and University of London professor Julia Lovell, the exhibition featured 300 works and was funded by a £719,000 grant from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. In an August 4 press statement, the museum admitted lacking a policy for translation clearances and committed to reviewing its procedures by year-end. This case highlights increased recognition for translators' contributions in exhibition contexts.