31304 - Portuguese and Brazilian Linguistics and Language 3

Learning outcomes

At the end of this module, students should be able to reach Level C1 of the Portuguese language proficiency levels described in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Course contents

The module (First lesson of translation from Portuguese) develops an understanding of the particular challenges posed by translation from Portuguese to Italian. It considers translation from a linguistic point of view in order to familiarize students with some theoretical concepts central to the practice of translation. This module also deals with analytical tools that reflect on the process of translation with particular emphasis on issues concerning the Target culture. Particular attention will be given to translation between related languages - such as Portuguese and Italian, of course - highlighting difficulties  rather than advantages. Part of this course will be devoted to a critical comparative analysis of famous translations in order to reflect on the strategies adopted in each text and problems connected with the Italian transposition. At the end of this course, students will be required to undergo a translation of different varieties of text (burocratic, journalistic, literary etc.) from different parts of the Portuguese speaking world. Students will attain in this way a good knowledge of the main linguistic varieties of Portuguese including European, Brazilian and African Portuguese.

Readings/Bibliography

- Umberto Eco, Quase a mesma coisa: experiências de tradução, São Paulo, Record, 2007;

- Michael Oustinoff, Tradução. História, teorias, métodos, São Paulo, Parábola Editorial, 2011;

- Mona Baker, In other words: a coursebook on translation, 2^ed., London-New York, Routledge, 2011.

 

Teaching methods

Course of lectures (20 hours) and seminars (10 hours), including translation exercises. This course provides participants with ample opportunities to apply techniques and skills through a series of translation assignments which form the basis for class discussion.

 

Students are also expected to attend language practice classes given by a native-speaker lector.

Assessment methods

The final exam will be articulated in different parts. As concerns the linguistic part taught by the coordinator of the course, students will have to do a two hour literary translation from Portuguese to Italian. This will be scheduled immediately after the end of the course. Students can use a bilingual dictionary. The oral exam that follows will be a discussion of the written exam; students are expected to lead a discussion that shows that they are able to connect theory and practice of translation beyond the mechanical application of rules. The second part of the oral exam is a discussion of a five-page essay that the student has to hand in a week before the oral exam. This is a critical analysis of a translation written in Portuguese. The final mark is an average of the marks for each component. This mark will be integrated with the ones obtained in the "esercitazioni" component of the course.

The "esercitazioni" exam is made up of a written and an oral that test all the four abilities. The written exam is four hour long and includes interpreting and translation; the oral part is a conversation on linguistic and cultural issues.

Teaching tools

Electronic corpora and dictionaries.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Mulinacci