99797 - ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL SKILLS LAB (CL2)

Learning outcomes

The student knows the advanced techniques for language service provision in one or more professional settings; s/he is able to analyze and critically assess language services in one or more professional settings, and suggest improvement strategies; s/he is able to acquire further skills related to linguistics, translation and technology, as well as other disciplines of relevance to her/his studies, through interaction with professionals from a range of fields.

Course contents

In the first semester, eight seminars are offered on a theoretical / methodological framework on translation and communication in the humanitarian field. Participants will have the opportunity to start exploring topics such as service-learning applied to translation, community translation and crisis translation, translation and human rights, humanitarian communication, development cooperation and international aid. These sessions will be held by lecturers and professionals who teach, research and work in these areas. The course is part of the activities of the UNIBO - Global South "SLIT" project; as such, it will see the participation of lecturers and students from the project partner universities (University of Nairobi in Kenya and Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis in Senegal), with meetings aimed at improving the participants' knowledge of the languages spoken in the two countries, and of the professional role of translators in Europe and Africa.

In the second semester, participants will actively collaborate in SLIT activities by taking part in meetings on collaborative translation and project management, preparatory to the creation and activation of a pro bono student translation agency across the partner institutions. In addition, they will carry out translation tasks in collaboration with students from the partner universities and local community partners.

Overall, the course consists of 75 hours of student work, distributed as follows:

I semester

• 16 hours in class (cycle of face-to-face seminars)
• 8 hours for the preparation of the weekly reflective diaries
• 15 hours for reading the literature

II semester

• 18 hours for the translation activity
• 18 hours for seminars

Readings/Bibliography

Scampa, P., G. Ballerini e S. Bernardini 2022. "La formazione in traduzione fra competenze, professione e civismo. Alcune riflessioni sul service-learning". InTRAlinea 24. online: https://www.intralinea.org/current/article/la_formazione_in_traduzione_fra_competenze_professione_e_civismo

Further reading suggestions will be provided during the course

Teaching methods

The course is structured around workshops and remote collaborative translation sessions with students from UNIBO and African partner universities. Individual and group participation is encouraged in order to develop translation, relational, critical and problem-solving skills.

Assessment methods

Assessment centres around two main aspects:

• attendance and active participation in the workshops
• a final report on course activities

Teaching tools

First semester sessions will take place in a teaching room equipped with a video projector and Internet connection; second semester activities will take place in a computer lab with access to individual PCs and Internet connection. Virtual classes with  students in Kenya and Senegal will take place through the Teams platform.

Office hours

See the website of Silvia Bernardini