69456 - English Liaison Interpreting II (First Language) (CL2)

Learning outcomes

Students are given the necessary strategies, techniques and tools to perform liaison/dialogue interpreting. They are required to understand and comply with professional ethics and standards of practice and are expected to be able to perform interpreting in bilingual and intercultural settings.

Course contents

This 40-hour (half of which in the co-presence of an English mother-tongue teacher) module takes place during the second semester, and it is part of the English Language and Mediation III course (English first language). It is aimed at further developing skills, strategies and techniques needed to perform dialogue interpreting in English and Italian, focusing on community interpreting (especially healthcare interpreting).

The module combines a practical approach to theoretical considerations on dialogue interpreting (such as professional ethics, terminology) in order to make students aware of the role and responsibilities of interpreters in such a context. Before each role play, students will be encouraged to prepare specialised glossaries not only to improve their vocabulary but also to understand that preparation is of utmost importance in any interpreting assignment.

Students will also be made aware of specific features of healthcare and social services interpreting, which is usually marked by different power, skills and status of participants to the mediated event, terminology issues, and cultural, ethical and religious differences).

Readings/Bibliography

Amato, A. & Garwood, C. (2011). “Cultural mediators in Italy: a new breed of linguists” in Intralinea, 13.[http://www.intralinea.org/archive/article/1673].

Bichoff A. & Lutan L (1999). Due Lingue, un colloquio. Guida al colloquio bilingue ad uso di addetti alle cure e di interpreti. Dipartimento Opere Sociali del Canton Ticino.

Delli Ponti A. & Forlivesi, K. ( 2005). “Il lavoro dell’interprete all’interno di una struttura ospedaliera” in Russo, M. & Mack, G. (eds). L’interprete e traduttore di trattativa. Formazione e professione, Milano, Hoepli, 195-202.

Merlini, F. (2009). “Interpreters in Emergency Wards” in Interpreting and Translating in Public Service Settings: policy, practice, pedagogy, Manchester, St. Jerome Publishing.

Rudvin, M. (2003), “Cross-cultural issues in Community interpreting”, in Domain-specific English and Language Mediation in a Professional and Institutional Setting, Milano, Arcipelago.

Pöchhacker, F. & M. Shlesinger. (2007). Healthcare Interpreting. Discourse and Interaction. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Teaching methods

Students will be presented in class with close to real-life and highly specialised interpreting situations for the specific fields mentioned above. Students asked to participate in role-plays will then have to self-evaluate their performance, while the rest of the class will be participating by contributing to performance assessment in a constructive and critical way. The module will also include listening and rephrasing, memory exercises, sight translation both from and into English.

Students must attend at least 70% of scheduled classes.

Assessment methods

Teachers will assess students’ progress throughout the module on the basis of their performances during class role-plays.

Continuous assessment during the year will NOT contribute towards the final mark, but will serve as an indicator for individual preparation, which will be assessed with a final exam consisting in a role play (based on one of the subject areas dealt with during the semester), with the student operating as an interpreter. The specific situation will be communicated to students before the exam.

The final mark for the Liaison/Dialogue Interpreting module will then be averaged out (at 50%) with the mark obtained in the Language and Culture module.

Teaching tools

IOL course page

Office hours

See the website of Federica Ceccoli