82036 - Specialized Translation from Russian into Italian

Learning outcomes

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

Course contents

During the course, the various aspects of the specialized translation of technical, economic, legal and financial texts will be examined. In particular, the translation of texts of different genres and types in terms of function and audience will be addressed, especially in the corporate sector. Through the presentation of a variety of texts, such as, but not limited to: technical manuals, certificates of conformity, powers of attorney, contracts, articles of incorporation and/or memorandums of incorporation, balance sheets and financial statements, etc. A special attention will be given to to the specific terminology of each sector, while deepening at the same time the knowledge of strategies, techniques and traditional and advanced tools and specialized translation methods, without neglecting the important phase of revising the translated text to check and improve editorial aspects.

Other topics, such as the creation of personal glossaries, the use of technical and monolingual dictionaries, the use of parallel texts/sources, the use of MT, etc., may also be addressed and discussed during the course, where necessary and appropriate.

Readings/Bibliography

Offline resources

- Scarpa, F. 2008. La traduzione specializzata. Ed. Hoepli

- Cadorin, E. Kukushkina, I. 2015. Il russo per l'azienda. Ed. Hoepli

- V. Kovalev, Dizionario russo-italiano italiano-russo, Zanichelli

Online resources

- Online Multilingual Dictionary www.multitran.com / www.multitran.ru

- Multilingual online dictionary dic.academic.ru

- Online Russian monolingual dictionary www.ozhegov.org

- Online Russian monolingual dictionary http://gramota.ru/slovari/info/bts/
- Transliteration utility www.translit.net
- Abbreviations utility www.sokr.ru
- Supplementary materials prepared by the lecturer on the teaching platform and/or distributed during the course

Teaching methods

The lectures will focus on the one hand on the analysis of the texts and their characteristics and on the other hand on the revision of the translations made by the students. Ample space will be given to the discussion of the critical translation issues encountered and the solutions adopted and/or adoptable. In-class activities will be supplemented by individual and/or collaborative group work with a view to continuous comparison and discussion of the material presented and the most critical points to be addressed in the translation according to the various types and genres of texts on the following topics: technical and commercial translation, translation of legal and juridical texts, translation of financial texts, translation of economic texts, revision. Students may make use of the materials provided on the teaching platform and/or supplied by the lecturer.

Assessment methods

The final examination is aimed at verifying the student's achievement of the course objectives, and in particular the correct use of the tools, methods and translation strategies most suited to the type of text.

Duration of test: 3 hours
The test consists of the written translation of a text of approximately 250-300 words similar, in terms of subject and type, to those seen during the course, with the use of monolingual, bilingual, synonym dictionaries, etc., both in printed form and online. The use of IT tools and paper or digital resources created by the students or identified during the course will also be allowed, as well as the consultation of other sources through access to the web (glossaries, parallel texts, terminology banks). The translation must be accompanied by a brief commentary setting out the main difficulties encountered during the translation, the strategies and solutions adopted and the resources used.

Learning Assessment Table

30-30L: excellent proof demonstrating excellent acquisition of the expected knowledge, as well as language rendering skills demonstrating complete mastery of the target language.
27-29: evidence above average, with minor errors or otherwise compensated for by more than adequate demonstration of the knowledge and skills to be acquired.
24-26: valid test, but with some problems regarding linguistic delivery, completeness of content and handling of the communicative situation.
21-23: sufficient proof but with noticeable limitations and inaccuracies of form and content in the management of the linguistic material, the interlingual and intercultural communicative situation and the content of the source text; knowledge and skills to be acquired.
18-20: barely sufficient proof which meets the minimum criteria of the conscious handling of the source text but is characterised by serious linguistic and communicative deficiencies and a poor ability to handle the interlinguistic and intercultural communicative situation; a great deal of knowledge and ability to acquire.
< 18: insufficient proof that does not demonstrate adequate acquisition of the expected knowledge, skills and abilities. The examination must be repeated.

Teaching tools

In addition to the materials examined in class, further in-depth materials (mono- and bilingual paper and digital dictionaries, specialized glossaries, websites, writing programs, bilingual corpora, parallel texts, newspaper articles, term sheets, videos, etc.) may also be included and/or suggested to provide students with a more complete idea of the context. All texts and course materials will be uploaded onto the teaching platform.

Office hours

See the website of Cinzia Sani