17885 - Liaison Interpreting between Italian and English I (First Language) (CL1)

Learning outcomes

Liaison Interpreting between Italian and English I will develop the skills and translation strategies studied in Language Mediation in the 1st year, and it will hone those abilities and techniques on an interlinguistic and intercultural level so that the student will be act as a dialogue interpreter in various areas: 1. business interpreting (trade fairs, private companies, etc.) and 2. community interpreting.

Course contents

The course will be held in the second semestre, and the lessons will be taught by a native Italian speaker (Prof.s Antonini and Giorgio-Marrano) and a native English speaker (Prof. Mathias).

The course will be divided into two areas.  The first will deal with the subject from a  theoretical point of view, studying the problems and salient features of dialogue interpreting as well as working on specific oral and written skills in order to improve memory and rephrasing in both languages. The second will allow the student to practice acting as a dialogue interpreter in the various fields, and will introduce community interpreting.

Readings/Bibliography

A bibliography will be given out at the beginning of the course, and a dossier with a selection of articles dealing with dialogue and community interpreting will be made available for the student.

Teaching methods

The student will practice the various skills needed to carry out this type of interpreting: memory exercises (to improve concentration and synthesis by extrapolating key points in both languages), sight translation, the preparation of ad hoc glossaries, and acting as interpreter in role plays.  Specific written and oral materials for the role plays and the subjects discussed in class will be made available. The student will be expected to improve his/her oral expression in both Italian and English so as to face and resolve potentially difficult situations within an interpretation.

Assessment methods

The final exam will be divided into three parts: a roleplay (based on one of the subjects dealt with during the semester) where the student will act as the interpreter, sight translations from English into Italian and from Italian into English, and a question on theory.

Teaching tools

Both written texts (eg. newspaper articles, publicity material, business letters) and oral texts (audiovisual materials such as interviews, BBC documentaries and reports, DVDs, etc.) depending on the subject being dealt with. Class exercises and role plays  will improve and reinforce specific vocabulary, skills such as rephrasing and  memorization, and the ability to apply specific strategies to a given situation.

Office hours

See the website of Rachele Antonini