69556 - Translation from German into Italian II (First Language)

Learning outcomes

The student - knows the tools (grammars and dictionaries of different types, and corpora of parallel and/or comparable texts) and the fundamental translation methods (micro and macro-retructuring, editing and revision of the target text) - is able to apply them in the translation of a variety of texts, even complex ones, from German - the first language - into Italian - is able to identify and apply the most suitable fundamental translation strategies to the communicative/operational functions of the texts to be translated.

Course contents

The course will be divided into two parts: ACTIVE translation (40 hours) in the first semester and PASSION translation (40 hours) in the second semester.

As for passive translation, the objective of the course will be to strengthen the processes of textual comprehension, even on challenging typologies, and to eliminate translation interference.

Particular attention will be given to the issues of understanding texts with challenging content and their interpretation. Secondly, the focus will be on text analysis, communication functions and the translation strategy to be adopted in general texts for the general public. On the basis of the elaborated texts, the main theoretical-translational and communicative problems will be discussed.

We will deal with texts of a journalistic nature, both general and specialized, even with a high degree of difficulty, also on the basis of choices and wishes of the students.

Students will be asked to consolidate their ability to work in groups, and to collectively solve all problems, especially those of revision and self-evaluation.

Readings/Bibliography

• Kautz, Ulrich (2002): Handbuch Didaktik des Übersetzens und Dolmetschens.München: Iudicium.
• Nord, Christiane (2009): Textanalyse und Übersetzen.Theoretische Grundlagen, Methode und didaktische Anwendung einer übersetzungsrelevanten Textanalyse.Heidelberg: Groos.
  
• Stolze, Radegundis (2011): Übersetzungstheorien. Eine Einführung.Tübingen: Narr.
• Eco, U., (2003) Dire quasi la stessa cosa, Milano, Bompiani
• Menin R., (1996 ) Teoria della traduzione e linguistica testuale, Milano, Guerini, (per uno studio specifico della coerenza discorsiva applicata alla traduzione)
• Beaugrande, Dressler, (1984) Introduzione alla linguistica testuale,Bologna, Mulino,
• Snell-Hornby, Mary et al.(2003) Handbuch Translation, Tübingen Stauffenburg-Verl.

Teaching methods

As for the passive part of the course, the lessons will be of the seminar type with a strong orientation towards group work.

Students will be able to test the techniques of inter-linguistic translation in relation to the transformations necessary in the transition from one language and from one context to another. Great importance will be given to intercultural and cultur-specific phenomena.

To achieve this, most of the work must be done by the students in groups, each result must be the result of the work of the student (never of the teacher's suggestions). The teacher signals what is wrong (in the method adopted, in the paraphrase, in the translation, etc.) and indicates the standard procedures to arrive at the result, without ever offering the solution.

Each week a group text is prepared and the individual correction of the individual tests is carried out.

The following exercises will take place:

- THE DETAILED PARAPHRASE (written, text in language) that avoids all the linguistic choices of the original. (1st level of generality)

- THE VERTICAL PARAPHRASE (language text) of each text to be translated, with c.s. mode.

- STRICTLY WORKING TO COUPLES (both in class and at home) in the analysis of the text, in its interpretation, in its translation

- CORRECTION OF THE PARAPHRASE (before moving on to translation) without any suggestion of solutions. The teacher points out the parts to be improved

- GROUP AUTOCORRECTION AND AUTOVALUATION (without suggestion of solutions by the teacher) and subsequent verification by the teacher

- PARAPHRASES TO BE REMADE IN THE UNSATISFACTORY PARTS WITH WORK OF THE WHOLE CLASS GROUP

- TRANSLATION FROM THE PARAPHRASE

- THE SECOND VERSION OF YOUR TRANSLATION, AVOIDING ALL SOLUTIONS OF THE FIRST, even in the event of an acceptable translation

The example of the texts processed will deal with the theoretical-methodological elements of translation, problem solving, translator documentation, etc.

Assessment methods

As far as the passive translation part is concerned, the learning will be checked weekly on the test that the student will carry out in a group and that he will have to provide to the teacher. This test will be evaluated and then discussed in class. In this way the student will be able to constantly monitor their progress. At least one stress test will also be carried out to experience real working conditions. A final test will be carried out before the final test.

The final test consists of translating a text of about 250 words for 90 minutes of time available. In all translation tests, individual, collective and in the tests, students will be able to use the full range of documentary resources available (access to the network, access to shared resources).

The type of examination will be consistent with the types of text used during the course.

The evaluation of the test will be based on the objective of the course. In particular, they will be evaluated:

- the total absence of linguistic interference

- the total absence of lexical and syntactical casts that limit interpretation

- the ability to interpret the text correctly in a foreign language

- the ability to render the text level, with regard to consistency

- the ability to make the level of the text pragmatic and stylistic

Teaching tools

personal computer, video projector
internet, search engines
online resources: electronic dictionaries
paper resources: grammars
materials made available on the Dropbox platform.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Menin