99795 - Adaptation and Intersemiotic Translation Lab

Learning outcomes

The student knows the principles of language service provision in the field of adaptation and intersemiotic translation of written, oral and multimedia texts belonging to different genres and in different language combinations; s/he is able to implement the main language service provision standards in professional settings.

Course contents

The course aims to provide the critical and methodological tools of multimodal analysis for the examination of film, radio and/or theatrical adaptations of literary texts, with particular reference to the intermedial, transmedial and cross-medial translation of classical myths. The aim of this examination is to produce an intersemiotic adaptation/translation of one of the two hundred and fifty stories contained in the fifteen books of Metamorphosĕon libri XV (Metamorphoses) by Publius Ovidius Naso. Ovid’s work is governed by the principle of continuous transformation and, as Italo Calvino states, “the Metamorphoses seek to represent the entirety of the narrative tradition handed down by literature, with all the power of images and meanings it conveys, without deciding – in keeping with the ambiguity proper to myth – between the possible interpretations”.

The course involves a critical and contextualised reading of selected myths from Ovid’s *Metamorphoses*.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

a) understand the complexity of the process of adapting literary works;

b) identify the potential and limitations of modal approaches and resources for the intermedial, transmedial and cross-medial translation of a text;

c) conduct a multimodal analysis of a literary text and discuss the results appropriately;

d) produce an intermedial/transmedial/intersemiotic translation (illustration, comic strip, short musical composition, screenplay, choreography, video, stage performance, podcast) of a story or myth from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, demonstrating autonomy and initiative in their practical work;

e) carry out independent research under the guidance of a tutor and demonstrate an awareness of their own and others’ roles and responsibilities as part of a team.

The resulting work will be published on the DIT Department’s YouTube and podcast channels:

“The Black Cat”. An audio play adaptation of the short story by Edgar Allan Poe [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5rg5pBh00Kkg6aXeyfofwn?si=87b1fe20ae53433a]

THE TELL-TALE DRUMS. A short film adaptation of *The Tell-Tale Heart*, by Edgar Allan Poe. [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4C81TEAcCO4nmuKXAbq2KA?si=8a7698bf87664d89]

“The Masque of the Red Death”: A comic book adaptation of the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, 1842 edition. [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iYxyQmkL2zm9zdd8WifdF?si=f085fdc7362449a5]

Readings/Bibliography

Calvino, I. (1979). Gli indistinti confini, in Publio Ovidio Nasone, Metamorfosi, a cura di P. Bernardini Marzolla. Einaudi, 1979, pp. VII-XVI

Calvino, I. (1988) Lezioni americane. Sei proposte per il prossimo millennio. Garzanti.

Chiurato, A., Bortolini, F. (2023). Mediamorfosi. Adattamenti, trasposizioni e franchise nell’era della convergenza. Patron.

Dusi, N. (2003). Il cinema come traduzione. Da un medium all’altro: letteratura, cinema, pittura. UTET.

Dusi, N., Spaziante, L. (2006). Remix-Remake : pratiche di replicabilità. Meltemi.

[http://www.ec-aiss.it/biblioteca/14_dusi_spaziante_remix_remake.php ]

Fabbri, P. (2000). “Due parole sul trasporre”. Intervista a cura di Nicola Dusi, Versus. Quaderni di studi semiotici, numero 85-86-87 (monografico: “Sulla traduzione intersemiotica”, a cura di N. Dusi e S. Nergaard), 2000, pp. 271-284. [https://www.paolofabbri.it/interviste/parole_trasporre/]

Jakobson, Roman (1987). On Linguistic Aspects of Translation, in Language in Literature, a c. di Krystyna Pomorska e Stephen Rudy, Cambridge (Massachusetts), Harvard University Press, 1987, p. 428-435.
Traduzione italiana:
Aspetti linguistici della traduzione, in Saggi di linguistica generale, a c. di Luigi Heilmann, trad. di Luigi Heilmann e Letizia Grassi, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1994, p. 56-64.

Publio Ovidio Nasone (2015). Metamorfosi, a cura di P. Bernardini Marzolla, con un saggio di Italo Calvino, Einaudi, 2015 (o altra edizione critica).

Ovidio (2025). Metamorfosi, a cura di Piero Bernardini Marzolla. Einaudi.

Segre, Cesare (1984). Teatro e romanzo. Due tipi di comunicazione letteraria, coll. "Paperbacks" n. 152, Einaudi.

Teaching methods

The chosen teaching approach is in line with the principles of cooperative learning in a workshop setting; consequently, the lectures and various types of practical exercises require the active participation of students as they engage with the content and processes necessary for the professional practice of intermedial translation.

Assessment methods

The final assessment consists of a presentation of the completed intermedia translation project and a discussion of the translation process followed.

Assessment scale

30–30L: an excellent piece of work demonstrating very broad, comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of the translation process, and a well-established ability to apply theoretical concepts;

27–29: an above-average piece of work demonstrating precise and comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter, a good ability to apply theoretical concepts, analytical and summarising skills, and a confident and accurate presentation

24–26: a valid piece of work demonstrating appropriate knowledge of the subject matter, a reasonable ability to apply theoretical concepts, and a well-structured presentation of the content

21–23: a satisfactory piece of work demonstrating appropriate but not in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, an ability to apply theoretical concepts only partially, and an acceptable presentation of the content

18–20: barely sufficient work demonstrating sufficient but general knowledge of the subject matter, a simple presentation, and uncertainties in the application of theoretical concepts

Fail: insufficient work that does not demonstrate adequate acquisition of knowledge of the subject matter, which is fragmentary and superficial, with errors in applying concepts, and a deficient presentation

The use of AI is prohibited. Any use constitutes a breach of academic integrity. The lecturer will verify that the work has been carried out independently through a supplementary oral interview; verification of the workflow will involve the submission of a first draft and a final draft.

Teaching tools

Computer with a video projector and an internet connection.

Use of the VIRTUALE platform.

Office hours

See the website of Maria Isabel Fernandez Garcia