82117 - Translation for the Publishing Industry (Chinese)

Learning outcomes

The student - knows the strategies, techniques, traditional and state-of-the-art tools and methods used in specialized translation tasks - is able to apply them to the translation of texts for the publishing industry from different genres and text types, from Chinese into Italian, meeting specific translation briefs and respecting the communicative functions of the source texts - knows the main techniques required for information mining, drafting, editing and revising texts, including the overall quality evaluation of the translated text

Course contents

The course aims to deepen the linguistic knowledge and translation skills of the students in order to lead them to achieve autonomy and professionalism in dealing with specialized texts in the editorial field.

The aim of the course is to construct a translation and publishing project that is likely to be professional, by examining the different phases of its implementation, analysing problems and criticalities and providing students with possible strategies, techniques and tools aimed at its complete definition.

In particular, work will be carried out on the translation of passages of narrative texts for adults and children.

It will start with excerpts from authors who have created the literary linguistic space of the Chinese twentieth century: Lu Xun, Ding Ling, Bing Xin, Shen Congwen, to finally move on to contemporary authors.
The work will be divided into several phases:
1) contextualisation of the source text and of the author in the historical-literary panorama of his/her time;
2) linguistic-textual analysis of the source text with particular emphasis on diachronic varieties;
3) the translation process, in group and individual work;
4) individual revision of the translated texts;
5) analysis of the Italian publishing market and identification of publishing houses specialised in related books;
6) preparation of an editorial proposal (preparation of an information and descriptive sheet of the text);
7)possible submission of the editorial proposal to some publishing houses.

Readings/Bibliography

Dictionaries:
Casacchia G., Bai Yukun 2013. Dizionario cinese - italiano. Venezia: Libreria editrice Cafoscarina.
Zhao Xiuying 2013. Il Dizionario di cinese. Dizionario cinese - italiano italiano - cinese, Bologna: Zanichelli.
--- 2016 Xiandai hanyu cidian 现代汉语词典, The Commercial Press.

In class, reference will be made to the following texts:

Chan, S. Pollard, D. 2001. An Encyclopaedia of Translation: Chinese-English. Beijing: The Chinese University Press.

Denton, K. (ed) 2016. The Columbia Companion to Modern Chinese Literature. New York: Columbia Un. Press.
Masi, E. 2014. Cento Capolavori della Letteratura cinese Macerata: Quodlibet.
Liberati, P. Pozzi, S. Caratteri 汉字. Beijing: Foreign Language Press. (Anni 2014，2016, 2017, 2018).

Italian translations of texts of Modern Chinese Literature will be indicated in class.

Online Dictionaries:

www.iciba.com
www.zdic.com

Chinese original literature texts available on

www.millionbook.com

In-depth readings:

During class, students will have access to articles on Chinese-Italian translation and fact sheets on the authors dealt with.

Teaching methods

Lessons will be workshop-based and will be held in different phases:
1. Before dealing with a text, the teacher will provide students with the materials to be read (in Italian, English or Chinese); in class, the author and the historical-literary context in which he/she is placed will be introduced, highlighting the linguistic elements that characterize that author or genre, so that they can transfer them into the target text.
2. The students, in small groups, will translate the parts of the text assigned by the teacher. Each group will identify critical points that will be shared in the class group and discussed collectively.
3. Collective reflection and identification of general rules for the production of a common text;
3. The students, individually, will revise the texts and decide on the final version.
4. Each student will prepare an editorial proposal to be sent to a specific publishing house after an individual analysis of the editorial market. All the proposals made during the year will be collected in an individual folder, and will be part of the final evaluation of the course.
Lessons require 70% attendance by the student.

Assessment methods

In order to show the acquisition of techniques, tools, strategies and methods of editorial translation in the publishing field, the students will have to try their hand at a translation test, placing it in their editorial project. The verification consists of an editorial proposal with an attached proof of translation, contained in a single file.
The text to be proposed for translation may be chosen from two texts indicated by the teacher. The two proposed texts will be uploaded to Moodle by 31/12/2019.
Twenty days before the exam date, students must send two folders to the teacher:
1. one with the translations made during the course, with:
original text (in jiantizi or fantizi);
translation in front
final translation;
glossary
introductory note (editorial proposal)
2. A complete original translation of one of the two texts that the teacher will have uploaded to moodle by 31-12, with a complete editorial proposal indicating the publishing house chosen and the reason for which it was chosen. The editorial proposal must have a length of about two pages. (1500 characters including spaces calculated on the source language)
The translation test must have a minimum of two folders, a maximum of three folders (in total from 3000 to 4500 characters) and must concern only one of the two texts uploaded.
The folders should be sent by e-mail to: sabrina.ardizzoni@unibo.it

Teaching tools

- Computer with projector and Internet connection
- Online dictionaries
- Paper dictionaries
- Parallel texts
- Moodle Platform: http://moodle.sslmit.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Sabrina Ardizzoni