90675 - Dialogical Interpretation Between English And Italian I (First Language) (CL2)

Learning outcomes

Students are made aware of the problems encountered in dialogue interpreting and are given the necessary tools to apply a professional code of conduct and the basic strategies required to perform dialogue interpreting in situations that reflect the real world.

Course contents

The 40-hour module (with 20 hours in the co-presence of an Italian mother-tongue teacher), held during the first semester, is aimed at further developing the listening, memorisation, concision, oral reformulation and public speaking skills acquired during the first year. In addition to being taught both practical and theoretical aspects of dialogue interpreting, namely the techniques that must be acquired to successfully perform interpreting in a business setting and to adapt these techniques to specific situations, students will also practice interpreting authentic material or simulations using dialogues that are close to real-life situations. The techniques taught will include sight translation, memorisation and reformulation. The students will work both from and into English. The course will focus on the cosmetics and personal care sectors and will include elements of human anatomy and chemistry. There will also be a focus on company presentations relating to these sectors, with a special focus on the language of marketing.

Specific language work (“Lettorato”) is carried out during both the first and second semesters. This focuses on listening comprehension, transcription and the reformulation of various text types, both orally and in writing. It includes general language improvement, with a specific focus on oral language and an emphasis on the semantic areas and topics dealt with in the dialogue interpreting course.

Attendance of both the course and the “Lettorato” is compulsory.

Readings/Bibliography

A bibliography will be provided during the course.

Teaching methods

The aim of the module, which takes place during the first semester and is part of the English Language and Mediation 2 (first language) course, is to enable students to acquire the various skills needed to perform dialogue interpreting. The module will include memory exercises (to improve concentration and synthesis by extrapolating key elements in both languages), sight translation and rephrasing, all of which will be carried out both from and into English. There will be discussions on the concepts, theories and professional ethics involved in the work of a dialogue interpreter. Students will work both in groups and individually when acting as the interpreter in role plays. During the role plays, realistic situations will be simulated, with the student operating as the interpreter, facilitating the communication between an Italian and English speaker by choosing appropriate lexical and linguistic solutions. The student is expected to improve her/his oral skills in both Italian and English so as to resolve potentially difficult situations that can occur in an interpretation assignment.

Assessment methods

The teachers will assess the students’ progress throughout the module on the basis of their performances during the interpretations in the class role plays and participation in other class activities, such as vocabulary building, sight translation, etc. By the end of the course students are expected to have:

· acquired the strategies necessary to interpret a business situation in the cosmetics and personal care sectors involving an Italian and English speaker;

· refined the lexical knowledge and specific terminology needed for the interpretation;

· improved their oral language skills in both Italian and English;

· identified syntactic, lexical and grammatical differences between Italian and English.

Continuous assessment during the year will NOT contribute towards the final mark, but will serve as an indicator for individual preparation. The students must, however, do a company presentation in English in groups of 3-5 students, which will be interpreted by the other students, and this WILL contribute towards the final mark.

The end-of-course exam will consist in a role play, (based on one of the subject areas dealt with during the semester), with the student operating as interpreter. The specific situation will be communicated to the students 2 weeks before the exam. The students also have to prepare a glossary for their specific interpreting assignment together with the other students who have been given the same assignment and must hand in the glossary 2 days before the exam.

Continuous assessment during the year will NOT contribute towards the final mark, but will serve as an indication for students' individual preparation.

Top marks (30L) can only be awarded to performances that are optimal not only from a linguistic, but also from an interactional point of view. Conversational turns are managed seamlessly, the student follows the professional ethics, respects speakers' intentions, does not change registers, mediates between business cultures, uses contextual and non-verbal elements to assist him/her. Less than optimal performances will be marked as follows:

interaction managed seamlessly, few flaws in language (e.g. style) that do not hinder mutual understanding=> 27-29;

interaction managed correctly, with few changes in meaning that distort only part of the argumentative, humorous, emotional or promotional effect of the texts (not its informative/referential function), few flaws in language (e.g. style) that do not substantially hinder mutual understanding=>24-26; interaction managed incorrectly at times, and/or with linguistic flaws that may generate local misunderstandings that need additional negotiating=>18-23 (21-23 if this has little impact on the general outcome of the encounter; 18-20 if repair is other-initiated and requires substantial meaning negotiation). If the encounter fails due to significant interpreter-induced misunderstandings or insufficient interactional skills, the student will fail 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

Written and oral texts relating to the subject being dealt with. Class exercises and role plays will improve and reinforce the use of specific vocabulary, skills such as rephrasing and memorisation, and the ability to apply specific strategies to given situations. All the material used in class will be uploaded onto the Moodle platform together with other material for further practice and in-depth study.

Office hours

See the website of Christopher John Garwood