82042 - Specialized Translation from German into Italian

Learning outcomes

The student - knows the strategies, techniques, traditional and state-of-the-art tools and methods used in specialized translation tasks - is able to apply them to the translation of technical and scientific texts from different genres and text types, from German into Italian, meeting specific translation briefs and respecting the communicative functions of the source texts - knows the main techniques required for information mining, drafting, editing and revising texts, including the overall quality evaluation of the translated text

Course contents

The course consists of two sections, translation into German (first semester, 40 hours), and translation into Italian (second semester, 40 hours). Translation into Italian aims to introduce students to techical-scientific translation in following branches: arquitecture/renewable sorces of energy, medicine, technical manuals. In addition to practical translations, students will be asked to hold some reports on theoretical themes about technical translation by means of a presentation in class.
Students will learn about the cultural, linguistic and disciplinary aspects of these texts and how to give due weight to textual and extra-textual factors affecting translation methods. Particular attention will be placed on strategies for mastering the foreign language and acquiring the disciplinary knowledge necessary for understanding and translating specialized texts. Students will also gain experience in all the resources available to the specialized translator (handbooks, specialised dictionaries, terminological databases, comparable texts, corpora, etc.). In addition, there will be lectures and workshops organised by the Specialised Translation seminar series (http://moodle.sslmit.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=376).

Readings/Bibliography

Arntz, Reiner/Picht, Heribert: Einführung in die Terminologiearbeit. Hildesheim: Olms ²1991.

Aston, Guy (Hrsg.): Learning with Corpora. Bologna: CLUEB 2001.

Cabré, M.T.: Terminologie: théorie, méthode et applications. Quebec: Les Presses de l'Université d'Ottawa - Armand Colin 1998.

Fluck, Hans-Rüdiger: Fachsprachen und Fachkommunikation. Heidelberg: Groos 1998.

Heinrich, Wilma / Heiss, Christine (Hgg.) (2009): Fachsprache, elektronische Wörterbücher, multimediale Datenbanken. Empirische Forschungsansätze der Sprach- und Übersetzungswissenschaft. Festschrift für Marcello Soffritti zum 60. Geburtstag. München: Iudicium.

Hoffmann, Lothar/Kalverkämper, Hartwig/Wiegand, Herbert Ernst (Hrsg.): Fachsprachen – Languages for Special Purposes. Ein internationales Handbuch zur Fachsprachenforschung und Terminologiewissenschaft. 2. Halbband. Berlin: de Gruyter 1999.

Mazzotta, Patrizia / Salmon, Laura (a cura di) (2007): Tradurre le microlingue scientifico-professionali. Riflessioni teoriche e proposte didattiche. Torino: UTET.

Hönig, Hans G.: Konstruktives Übersetzen. Tübingen: Francke ² 1997.

Rega, Lorenza / Magris Marella (a cura di) (2004): Übersetzen in der Fachkommunikation – Comunicazione specialistica e traduzione. Tübingen: Narr. Taino, Piergiulio / Brambilla, Marina / Briest, Tobias (Hgg.) (2009): Eindeutig uneindeutig. Fachsprachen – ihre Übersetzung, ihre Didaktik. Frankfurt: Lang

Scarpa, Federica: La traduzione specializzata. Lingue speciali e mediazione linguistica. Milano: Hoepli 2001

Teaching methods

Principally workshops, but lectures as well.

Lectures will deal with theoretical and methodological aspects of translation and will be held by each students.

Workshops will focus on individual and collective practice. After an in-depth analysis of the source text, translations will be carried out individually at home, as well being monitored by the lecturer in small groups of two to four students. Classrooms will be equipped with print and electronic resources for technical translations, as well as dedicated software programs and translation tools (word processing programs, text analysis tools, CAT-tools). Before discussion in class, translations will be revised by the lecturer.

Compulsory course attendance: 70%.

A German language tutor will also be available (http://corsi.unibo.it/2Cycle/SpecializedTranslation/Pages/tutors-for-ma-in-specialized-translation.aspx).

Assessment methods

Learning progress and translation habilities of specialized texts will be assessed by a mock test (translation of a text of 200 words, with 1 hour and 30 minutes available) towards the end of the course; this text will be assessed with a note, yet it will not count towards the final note. All students will undergo a final exam having the same goal of the mock test (translation of a text of 250-300 words, with 2 hours available). The final mark will be the average between the mark obtained in the second part and the mark obtained in the first part of the course (Specialized Translation from Italian into German). During all translation tests into Italian (which will be carried out in classrooms equipped with print and electronic resources), students may use all the resources that they are familiar with. The test texts will be the same text types that were explored during the course.

 

EVALUATION CHART FOR TEACHING
OF SPECIALISED TRANSLATION
Grading scale 

30 -30 with distinction:
Excellent test showing very good acquisition of expected knowledge, correct use of terminology as well as linguistic ability demonstrating complete mastery of target language
27-29:
Above average test, with minor errors or errors compensated for by good demonstration of knowledge and to be acquired
24-26
Good paper, but with some evident errors indicating partial acquisition of the required knowledge and skills
21-23
Fairly good paper, but with noticeable limitations in the knowledge and skills to be acquired
18-20
A test that only meets the minimum criteria of knowledge and skills to be acquired
< 18
Basic knowledge not achieved: the examination must be repeated

Teaching tools

Personal computers, beamers.

Internet, search engines.

Online resources: electronic dictionaries and encyclopedias, terminological data bases, comparable texts, corpora

Printed resources: handbooks, printed dictionaries and encyclopedias.

During the collective practice, students will carry out their translation work in classrooms equipped with the above mentioned print and electronic resources, as well as dedicated software programs and translation tools (word processing programs, text analysis tools, CAT-tools).

Office hours

See the website of Bruno Persico