B2566 - PREPARAZIONE E DOCUMENTAZIONE PER L'INTERPRETAZIONE

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students shall be able to acquire and apply knowledge, techniques and methodologies for the preparation and the management of an interpreted communication event, regardless of the language combination.

Course contents

This course intends to explore and convey the main techniques, methodologies, materials and tools available for the preparation and the documentation of a professional interpreter ahead of an assignment. It is a language-independent soft skill course for all third-year students of the Bachelor's degree on Language and technologies for intercultural communication. The goal is to set the foundations for those who wish to continue their studies in the Master's Degree in Interpreting, thus building a bridge between the Bachelor's and the Master's Degree offring a sound language-independent methodological preparation for interpreting (also improving skills in Italian, the language used in this teaching). This course will serve as a connection between the Bachelor's and the Master's Degree in Interpreting, giving students the chance to test their skills and attitude towards a potential enrolment in said Master's Degree, building a common and language-independent methodological expertise.

In particular, the course will be focused on the following contents:

• documentation and preparatory activities ahead of an interpreting assignment (identification of lexical issues, searching for parallel texts, managing lexicographical resources, online repositories);
• learning how to talk/listen correctly: features of the oral discourse, lexical appropriateness, communication skills. Active listening exercises and introduction to memorization;
• oralization of written texts (from written to oral texts) and oral reading/production techniques;
• summary of oral contents;
• lexico-syntactic reformulation;
• memorization techniques of spoken texts: conceptualization of oral discourse, different memorization techniques for different discourse features, selection of communication priorities, practical spoken text memorization exercises.

The specific teaching objectives are:

• knowing the main methods, materials and tools for the preparation and documentation ahead of an interpreting assignment;
• improving active listening and analytical skills of oral discourse;
• working on the deep understanding of discourse;
• consolidating memorization techniques starting from the student's own cognitive approach to discourse.

In particular, detailed contents shall be divded as follows:

• Tools, materials and methods for the preparation of an interpreter;

• Theoretical elements of memory physiology;

• What is consecutive interpreting without notes, why practising it and which texts can be used to practice it;

• Active listening and discourse analysis/schematization strategies, orality-specific memorization techniques;

• Specific strategies for specific challenges: lists, figures, proper names;

• Practical exercise of consecutive interpreting without notes, analysis of discourse structure, cumultative memorization exercises, roleplays, limitation of notetaking.

The course will be practice-application oriented and students will be asked to carry out exercises related to dialogue interpreting-specific communication situations (in a same-language perspective, using Italian as the common language). To this end, a number of individual and couple-based listening, oral comprehension and production skill boosting activities in Italian will be proposed.

This teaching is organized in two parts: a 20-hour plenary theoretical part and a 20-hour technical/application part in which students will be splitted in two classes in order to give the highest number of students the chance to partake in exercises. Therefore, the course is made of 40 hours for a total of 6 ECTS and it is to be carried out in the first semester.

Readings/Bibliography

Suggested bibliography:

Bertozzi, M. (2024), “Continuous Self-learning for conference interpreting trainees: the case of the University of Bologna”, THE INTERPRETERS' NEWSLETTER, 29, pp. 19 – 39.

Bertozzi, M. (2024), “Escucha activa y memorización para intérpretes: resultados preliminares de una experimentación didáctica”, TRANS, 28, 131 – 155.

Chessa, F. (2013), Interpretazione dialogica, Roma: Carocci.

Frittella, F. (2018), Numeri in interpretazione simultanea, Roma: Europa Edizioni.

Gillies, A. (2013), Conference interpreting: a student’s practice book. London: Routledge.

Kriston, A. (2012), “The importance of memory training in interpretation”, Professional Communication and Translation Studies 5/1(2), 79-86.

Mazzei, C. & Ibrahim Aibo, L. J. (2022), The Routledge guide to teaching translation and interpreting online, London: Routledge.

Medici, V. (2006), I nomi propri: una sfida per l’interprete. SSLMIT, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Tesi di Laurea non pubblicata.

Podlucká, L. (2020), “The assessment of the skills of students in introductory courses to interpreting”, in Z. Bohušova, M. Djovčoš & M. Melicherčikova (a cura di) Interpreter Training - experience, ideas, perspectives (pp. 63-77). Prae Sens.

Rodríguez Melchor, M. D., Horváth, I. & Ferguson, K. (a cura di) (2020), The role of technology in conference interpreting training, Bern: Peter Lang.

Russo, M. & Mack, G. (a cura di) (2005), Interpretazione di trattativa, Milano: Hoepli.

Russo, M. (a cura di) (2021), Interpretare da e verso l’italiano, Bologna: BUP.

Schafer, T. (2011), “Developing expertise through a deliberate practice project”, International Journal of Interpreter Education 3, 15-27.

Setton, R. & Dawrant, A. (2016), Conference Interpreting: a complete course, Amsterdam: J. Benjamins.

Zhong, W. (2003), “Memory training in interpreting”, Translation Journal 3(7), no pp.

Teaching methods

This course envisages compulsory attendance of at least 70% of lectures.

The chosen didactic approach is cooperative learning, therefore, lectures and exercises shall require the active participation of students willing to learn contents and processes needed in a professional environment. Individual and group exercises will be carried out.

The teaching envisages an in-class part and a set of activities to be carried out in a blended-learning mode through the Moodle (Virtuale) Learning Management System platform.

Given the type of activity and the employed didactic methodologies, the attendance of this training activity requires the participation of all students in modules 1 and 2 of the saftey course in places of study, [https://elearning-sicurezza.unibo.it/ in e-learning].

Assessment methods

Students will be assessed throughout the course according to the oral excercises in class and the creation of a personal portfolio of activities to be uploaded on the Virtuale Learning Management System platform.

In addition, exam dates shall be set to assess reformulation, active listening and speech memorization skills.

Teaching tools

Moodle (Virtuale) Learning Management System, video projector, language laboratories, loudspeakers, headsets and microphones. Teaching materials shall be uploaded on Virtuale. Some exercises will require the use of computers with headsets/microphones and audio recording tools: if the students do not have tools of their own, they will be able to use the DITLab facilities.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Cecchi

See the website of Michela Bertozzi