82031 - Specialized Translation from Italian into English (CL1)

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 Italian into English, 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 aims to introduce students to legal translation, and in particular to the translation of texts relating to civil law (contract and company law) and civil procedure law. Students will become familiar with the cultural, linguistic and disciplinary aspects of these texts and learn how to give due weight to textual and extra-textual factors affecting translation methods. They will also be able to evaluate the translation quality - including machine-translated texts - and carry out the necessary revisions. Particular emphasis will be placed on translation methods and on strategies for acquiring the disciplinary knowledge necessary for understanding and translating legal texts. Students will also become familiar with all the resources available to the legal translator (handbooks, statutes, specialised dictionaries, terminological databases, comparable texts, corpora, etc.).

Readings/Bibliography

Language and the Law

Required readings

Gualdo, R. & Telve, S. (2011). “Il linguaggio del diritto”. In Gualdo, R. & Telve, S. (2011) Linguaggi specialistici dell’italiano. Roma: Carocci, 411-477.

Vagni, Laura (2009). "Nozioni di diritto privato e terminologia giuridica". In Cavagnoli, Stefania & Ioratti Ferrari, Elena (eds.) (2009), Tradurre il diritto. Nozioni di diritto e di linguistica giuridica. Padova: CEDAM, 61-119.

Recommended readings

Bhatia, V. K. (1993). Analysing Genre: Language Use in Professional Settings. Harlow: Longman.

Mortara Garavelli, B. (2001). Le parole e la giustizia: divagazioni grammaticali e retoriche su testi giuridici italiani. Torino: Einaudi.

Sours, P. (2018). “Legal Grammar Handbook”. In A. Riley (2018), 351-486.

Riley, A. (2018). Legal English and the Common Law. Milano: Wolter Kluwers/CEDAM.

Legal Translation

Required readings

Alcaraz, E. & B. Hughes (2014). Legal Translation Explained. New York: Routledge.

Recommended readings

Jacometti, V. e B. Pozzo (2022). Traduttologia e linguaggio giuridico. Milano: Wolters Kluwer CEDAM.

Magris, M., M. T. Musacchio, L. Rega e F. Scarpa (eds.) Manuale di terminologia. Aspetti teorici, metodologici e applicativi (2002). Milan: Hoepli.

Megale, F. (2008). Teorie della traduzione giuridica. Fra diritto comparato e Translation Studies. Napoli: Editoriale scientifica.

Monacelli, C. (ed.) Traduzione, revisione e localizzazione nel terzo millennio: da e verso l’inglese, Milano: Franco Angeli, 109-139.

Šarčević, Susan (1997): New approach to legal translation. The Hague: Kluwer Law International.

Translator's resources

Print resources

De Palma, Serena (2012). Dizionario di inglese legale applicato. Inglese-italiano, italiano-inglese. Bologna: Filodiritto.

Enciclopedia Garzanti del Diritto (³2009). Milano: Garzanti.

Galgano, Francesco (1996): Dizionario enciclopedico del diritto. Vol. I: A-L, Vol. II: M-Z. Padova: CEDAM.

Mori, Edoardo (⁷2011): Dizionario dei termini giuridici e dei brocardi latini. Piacenza: La Tribuna.

Villa, G. (2015). Dizionario esplicativo di inglese giuridico. Milano: Giuffrè Editore.

Online resources

Portals

https://e-justice.europa.eu

Legal rules and judgments

https://www.bailii.org/bailii/

http://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/

http://www.altalex.com/index.php?idstr=39

http://www.normattiva.it/

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/

http://curia.europa.eu/

Encyclopaedias

http://www.altalex.com/dizionario-giuridico

https://www.brocardi.it/

http://www.simone.it/newdiz/newdiz.php?action=view&index=A&dizionario=1

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex

Terminological databases

http://iate.europa.eu/

Additional bibliographical references might be made available on the Virtuale e-learning platform at the beginning of the semester.

Teaching methods

Lessons will be conducted as workshops and, to a lesser degree, as lectures.

During the lectures, the theoretical-methodological elements that form the basis of the translation will be addressed and the resources available to the legal translator for the acquisition of specialist knowledge and the relevant linguistic devices will be introduced.

The workshops will focus on the analysis of the texts to be translated and the translation problems involved, as well as on the discussion of the translations carried out individually by the students. During the discussion, feedback will be provided on the solutions adopted and the methodology will be improved.

Translations will be carried out with the aid of print and electronic resources for legal translators, as well as dedicated software programs and translation tools (word processing programs, text analysis tools, CAT-tools).

Before dealing with translation, it is essential to read the texts indicated in the bibliography as necessary readings.

Compulsory course attendance: 70%.

As concerns the teaching methods of this course unit, all students must attend the online Modules 1, 2 on Health and Safety [https://www.unibo.it/en/services-and-opportunities/health-and-assistance/health-and-safety/online-course-on-health-and-safety-in-study-and-internship-areas].

Assessment methods

Individual learning progress will be assessed through the regular evaluation of translations carried out individually at home and through a mid-term mock exam (translation of a text of 250 words, with 1 hour and 30 minutes available).

All students will take a final exam (translation of a text of 400 words, with 2 hours and 30 minutes available). The final mark will be the average between the mark obtained in the first part and the mark obtained in the second part of the course (Specialized Translation from English into Italian).

The final exam will be held in a classroom equipped with print and electronic resources, and students will be allowed to use all the resources that they are familiar with.

The texts for the exam will be of the same text types covered during the course.

The final exam will be assessed in terms of the adequacy and correctness of the target text. The evaluation will take into account both positive and negative elements. As for the latter, the categories of errors are sense, terminology, non-terminological vocabulary, phraseology, grammar, textual conventions, omissions, unjustified additions.

30-30L

Excellent level. The candidate possesses excellent translation/language skills, with a very high level of competence in the target language /(or) in the language and culture being studied.

27-29

Above-average level. The candidate makes only minor errors, and shows a solid command of the required skills and competences.

24– 26

Generally sound level. The candidate displays a number of shortcomings, indicating a reasonable command of the required skills and competences.

21-23

Adequate level. The candidate displays significant shortcomings and only an adequate command of the required skills and competences.

18– 20

Minimum level. The candidate only meets the minimum level required and shows a poor command of the required skills and competences.

< 18 Fail

The candidate fails to meet the required standard and shows a seriously inadequate command of the required skills and competences. The candidate will have to retake the exam.

The marks 30 and 30L are only justified when the errors are limited to the categories of non-terminological vocabulary, phraseology, grammar and textual conventions.

The exam is considered unsatisfactory if the errors cause the target text to be unusable (this is especially the case with serious errors of sense).

The mark 18 is assigned to translations which are still usable despite containing errors in all the above-mentioned categories.

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

Personal computers, beamers.

Internet, search engines.

Online resources: electronic dictionaries and encyclopedias, terminological data bases, laws.

Printed resources: handbooks, printed dictionaries and encyclopedias.

All course materials will be made available on the Virtuale e-learning platform

Office hours

See the website of Marco Lobascio