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

The course covers various aspects of the specialized translation of technical, corporate, commercial, advertising and legal texts.

Through the presentation of a variety of texts, such as, but not limited to: general certificates, technical manuals, certificates of conformity, contracts, powers of attorney, advertising texts, etc., knowledge of specific terminology will be broadened, while at the same time deepening knowledge of strategies, techniques, traditional and advanced tools (including CAT, MT and AI) and specialized translation methods, without neglecting the important phase of the revision of the translated text for the purposes of checking and improving editorial aspects.

During the course, where necessary and appropriate, other topics may also be addressed and discussed, such as professional ethics, project management, the active role of the translator, the creation of personal glossaries, the use of technical and monolingual dictionaries, the use of parallel texts/sources, the use of CAT, MT and AI for translation, etc.

Readings/Bibliography

Reading of the following materials is recommended:

• Gotti, M. 1991. I linguaggi specialistici. Caratteristiche linguistiche e criteri pragmatici. Firenze: La Nuova Italia.
• Gotti, M. e Šarčevič, S. (2006). Insights into Specialized Translation. Berna, Berlino, Francoforte: Peter Lang.
  
• Jakobson, R. 1976. Linguistica e poetica. In Saggi di linguistica generale, a cura di Luigi Heilmann, 181-218. Milano: Feltrinelli (originale inglese Closing Statements: Linguistics and Poetics, 1960). Klein, Wolfgang & Perdue, Clive. 1997
• Nord, C. 1991. Text analysis in translation: theory, methodology, and didactic application of a model for translation-oriented text analysis. 1 ed. Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi.
• Nord, C. 1997. Translating as a Purposeful Activity. Functionalist Approaches Explained. Manchester, St. Jerome Publishing.
• Sabatini, F. 1999. “Rigidità-esplicitezza” vs “elasticità-implicitezza”: possibili parametri massimi per una tipologia dei testi. In Skyette, G. e Sabatini, F. (eds.), Linguistica testuale comparativa. In memoriam Maria-Elisabeth Conte. Atti del Congresso interannuale della Società di Linguistica Italiana (Copenhagen, 5-7 febbraio 1998). København: Museum Tusculanum Press. 141-172.
• Salmon, L. Teoria della traduzione, cap. 5.1, 5.2, 6.3, 6.4
• Scarpa, F. La traduzione specializzata
• Werlich, E. 1975. Typologie der Texte. Entwurf eines textlinguistischen Modells zur Grundlegung einer Textgrammati
• Lecture notes and materials distributed during the course and uploaded onto the teaching platform
• Supplementary materials prepared by the lecturer on the teaching platform.
  

Consultation of the following online sources is also recommended:

• Online multilingual dictionary www.multitran.com / www.multitran.ru
• Online multilingual dictionary dic.academic.ru
• Online Russian monolingual dictionary http://gramota.ru/slovari/info/bts/
• Russian online monolingual dictionary www.ozhegov.org
• Online Multilingual Legal Dictionary https://www.miripravo.ru/lingvo/index.htm
• Online bilingual Russian-Italian dictionary https://classes.ru/all- italian/dictionary-russian-italian-law.htm
• Transliteration utilities www.translit.net
• Abbreviations utility www.sokr.ru

Teaching methods

Lectures will follow a learning-by-doing approach aimed at simulating real-life working conditions as closely as possible and will be complemented 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 translation according to the various types and genres of texts. Students will be provided materials on the online platform.

In addition to the materials examined during the lecture, further materials (newspaper articles, terminology sheets, etc.) may also be included and/or suggested to provide students with a more complete picture of the context. All course texts and materials will be uploaded onto the online platform.

During the course, the lecturer will assign translations of various texts to be carried out independently in order to verify the acquisition of terminology and other aspects examined during the lectures.

The lecturer may also, where she deems it possible and appropriate, request group work both to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and discussion among students and to simulate work situations in the market.

Assessment methods

The final examination will consist of:

• translation of texts similar, in terms of subject and type, to those analyzed during the module, using IT tools and resources created or identified during the course, as well as dictionaries, glossaries and documents available on the Internet;
• a commentary briefly outlining the phases and salient features of the translation, justifying the resources used and the strategies adopted, in order to simulate real-life working conditions in which it is necessary to give an account of the task carried out to a possible client.
  

Students will carry out the exam in person using the equipment in the school's PC room or their own computer.

The exam tests will be assessed as follows:
>18 (Unsatisfactory) - Translation with serious errors (misunderstanding and/or lack of internal consistency of the text, grammatical, syntactic and/or terminology errors, missing parts), confused and incomplete presentation, poor mastery of translation techniques and methods, no commentary.
18 (Sufficient) - Translation with serious or moderately serious errors (incomplete understanding and/or internal consistency of the text, grammatical, syntactic and/or terminology errors) and repeated errors, exposition at times confused and incomplete, sufficient mastery of translation techniques and methods. Commentary present but poorly developed.
18-21 (Fair) - Translation generally correct and well structured with moderate or minor errors (grammatical, syntactic and/or terminological), sufficiently clear exposition and internal consistency, fair mastery of translation techniques and methods, sufficiently developed commentary.
22-25 (Good) - Well-executed translation with minor errors (grammatical, syntactic and/or terminological), but repeated. Presentation and internal consistency generally clear, but could be improved. Good command of translation techniques and methods. Well-structured commentary, but without references to sources.
26-29 (Excellent) - Optimal translation, with no significant errors, accurate in terms of grammar, syntax, terminology, sector-specific idioms and internal consistency. Excellent command of translation techniques and methods. Excellent commentary with references to sources.
30/30 with honours (Excellent+) - Perfect translation from all points of view (grammatical, syntactic, terminological, sector-specific idiomatic and internal consistency). Total mastery of translation techniques and methods. Critical and original translation skills, impeccable presentation. Excellent commentary with references to sources.

 

Students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) or with disabilities that can affect their ability to attend courses are invited to contact the University service for students with disabilities and SLD at the earliest opportunity -- ideally before the start of the course: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students. The University service will suggest possible adjustments to the course work and/or exam, which must then be submitted to the course leader so they can assess their feasibility, in line with the learning objectives of the course. Please note that adjustments to the exam must be requested at least two weeks in advance.

Teaching tools

In addition to the materials examined during the lecture, further materials (newspaper articles, term sheets, videos, etc.) may also be included and/or suggested to provide students with a more complete picture of the economic and business context.

All course texts and materials will be uploaded onto the online platform.

Office hours

See the website of Cinzia Sani