69558 - Translation from Italian into French II (Second Language)

Learning outcomes

The student - who knows the tools (grammars and dictionaries of different types, and corpora of parallel and/or comparable texts) and the methods (micro and macro-restructuring, editing and revision of the target text) of fundamental translation - is able to apply them in the translation of a variety of texts, even complex ones, from Italian into French - second language - is able to identify and apply the most appropriate fundamental translation strategies to the communicative/operational functions of the texts to be translated.

Course contents

The 40-hour module aims to raise students' awareness of various text types and to make them reflect on resources. The course will start with materials as authentic as possible, to introduce the student to the profession of translator. 

The importance of identifying textual typologies will be stressed in order to determine the most appropriate translation strategies; the strategies adopted by the students to identify problems will be compared. An attempt will be made to introduce the student to the acquisition and learning of a professional translation methodology that will follow the following scheme as closely as possible: 

1) Careful reading of the text, aimed at identifying problematic terms or textual segments for reformulation in French;


2) Interpretation of the text and documentary investigation, necessary for a complete understanding of the subject; terminological research with particular attention to problems related to reliability, and limits, will also sensitize students to semantic-syntactic combinations, collocations and phenomena of homonymy and synonymy;


3) Translation: reformulation of the text in the target language trying to make the sense of the original text; drafting of the draft;


4) Rewriting: recomposition of a new material respecting the forms and formulations suitable for the French language;


5) Revision and control: rereading and individual and collective corrections.


In all phases of the course there will be alternating moments of individual work and moments of collaboration between students who will also be invited to set up working groups so that they can face together a text of their choice to present their translation proposal to the class group.


Each student will be asked to personally deal with the texts provided by the teacher, in order to obtain the best possible performance during the discussion of the translation choices, as well as to systematize the notions learnt for the final exam. In order to arrive at the elaboration, in an autonomous manner, of a dynamic structure of knowledge, students will also be asked to carry out specific documentary and terminological research; to reflect on the use of equivalent corpora; to become familiar with the use of new technologies in order to exploit their resources.

Readings/Bibliography

At the beginning of the course the teacher provides students with a dossier containing the texts that will be translated.

Teaching methods

The course makes use of mainly seminar lessons, in which teacher and student discuss the most suitable translation strategies for the text being translated. 

An exam simulation test will be organised towards the end of the course which will serve as a self-assessment of the progress made by the students. This test will have no normative value but only a formative value for the student. 

The course foresees the compulsory attendance of at least 70% of the lessons in order to have access to the exam test.

Assessment methods

To verify

- knowledge of the main tools (grammars, dictionaries and textual corpora) and methods (analysis of the meaning of the source text and its transposition into the target text) basic translations


- and the ability to apply them in the translation of a variety of simple texts from Italian into French as well as


- the ability to identify and apply the basic translation strategies best suited to the communicative/operational functions of the texts to be translated,


At the end of the course the student will have to pass an exam which will consist of a written translation test of an Italian text into French which consists of about 300 words.


The grade obtained in this test will be added to that obtained in the passive translation test and then the average of the two results will be made.


For the translation students will be able to use the monolingual Italian and French dictionaries, as well as the main computer tools (the test will take place in a classroom equipped with computers).


The evaluation will be made taking into consideration the solutions adopted in the translation phase.

Teaching tools

Students will make use of monolingual dictionaries, paper and unpublished, encyclopedias, Internet, print.

Office hours

See the website of Michela Tonti