Learning objectives
The course aims at the acquisition of advanced translation skills from German into Italian, particularly in the literary field. At the end of the course the student will be able to:
- recognize the function(s) of a text;
- carry out a thorough text analysis with the purpose of better translating the text;
- classify texts based on pragmatic, lexical and syntactical factors;
- distinguish some text types and their influence on translation;
- read and analyze in an efficient manner texts with an intermediate level of difficulty;
- critically reflect on and motivate his/her own translation choices, also comparing them with different translations;
- use the correct terminology in the explanation of the own translation choices.
Prerequisites
B2 level of German
Course unit content
text analysis, theory and practice of translation
Full programme
The course includes a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part mainly consists in introducing the basics of text analysis and translation studies and will also include, in addition to a general reflection upon the essence of translating, a thorough study of the stages of the translation process and of the paper and electronic instruments available for translators. The acquired knowledge will then be applied to practical case studies of different texts, particularly in the field of children’s literature (some modern fables will be translated into Italian). The didactic progression will take into account the typical mistakes that Italians make when translating from German into Italian and training will include not just autonomous translations of texts never translated before, but also the comparison of different translations of the same source text. Peers will compare their translation options and they will also analyze “official” translations made by professionals. They will thus go through the whole translation process, from the comprehension and interpretation of the source text to the final revision. The translations handed in by the students before the oral examination will be subject to approval for publishing.
Students must attend language assistants’ lessons as well (see lesson timetable). Non-attending students are requested to contact the teacher in due advance by e-mail or at office hours for counseling.
Bibliography
References for translation training:
Böhmer Maria, liberamente – letteralmente – sinngemäß. Texte und Übungen für die Übersetzung ins Italienische und aus dem Italienischen, Bulzoni editore, Roma, 2009, ISBN: 9788878703742.
Reference for theory:
Kautz Ulrich, Handbuch und Didaktik des Übersetzens und Dolmetschens, iudicium, München, 2002, ISBN: 3891294492, p. 47-137.
Reference for the translation to hand in before the oral examination:
Drewermann Eugen, Von Tieren und Menschen. Moderne Fabeln, Walter, Olten, 1998, ISBN: 9783530400533.
The slides used to support the lessons will be uploaded to the Elly platform, to which the students can access through the online enrollment. The slides are an integral part of the didactic material indicated in the bibliography. Nonattending students shall check all the didactic material available, as well as the instructiond given by the professor through the Elly platform.
Teaching methods
Lectures will be held in streaming (via Teams) and the recordings will be available for one week on the platform Elly for asynchronous listening. Lectures with students' active participation will alternate with individual text analysis and translation training. To promote students’ active participation, specific activities will be offered through the resources of the platform Elly.
Assessment methods and criteria
Competencies and skills will be assessed through two types of summative examination:
1) two compulsory written examinations, to be taken before the oral examination: lector’s examination and translation. There are three parts to the lector’s examination (listening, reading, writing). The translation examination consists in a translation from Italian into German. Written examinations are assessed with marks ranging from 0 to 30 and the final mark will be calculated on the average of the written and oral examinations.
2) an oral examination based on the basics of theory and the ability to apply them. The oral examination will be held in German. One week before the oral examination, the students are bound to send a previously agreed-upon fable to the professor by mail. The students will be expected to discuss all the texts analyzed and translated in class. Both the contents and the language used to express them will be assessed. The mark will be communicated to the student immediately after the oral examination. Please remember that the enrollment to the round is COMPULSORY both for the written and for the oral examinations.
A negative assessment will be given if that the student is unable to attain the minimum requirements of the course. Sufficient evaluation (18-23/30) is determined by the demonstration by the student to have learned the basic and minimum contents of the course. The mean scores (24-27/30) are assigned to the student who produces evidence of a level more than sufficient (24-25/30) or good (26-27/30) evaluation indicators listed
above. Higher scores (from 28/30 to 30/30 cum laude) are awarded based on the demonstration of a level as very good to excellent evaluation indicators listed above.
Other information
- - -
