ENGLISH-ITALIAN SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING PRACTICE MOD.A

Syllabus

Preparatory course to simultaneous translation
English – Spanish - Italian



Given the number of teaching hours available during the second semester of this school year, the students’ academic backgound as well as their knowledge and skills in English and Spanish which I suppose should be fairly good in terms of both active and passive spoken, written and comprehension skills for I have not had a chance of meeting them all personally before the beginning of this course and given the general scope of this 15-class introductory course to simultaneous translation, I wish to organize it as follows:

According to the overall level of skills, I wish to spliit the course into five (5) units of three (3) classes each. The following topics will be discussed:
1. Introduction to simultaneous interpretation. Features and execises. Interpreter’s skills, language and extra-language knowledge needed. Code of conduct. Preparation of a typical work day;
2. Stages: listening/conceptualization/ production. Interpreting strategies according to the spoken languages and topics as well as rephrasing;
3. Know-how, technicalities and interpreting skills from English/Spanish into Italian. How to interpret phrases, idioms and find solutions when interpreting from and into a language;
4. Finding one’s own interpreting method and style;
5. Interpreting training with short texts from Italian, Spanish and English and vice-versa.

This short course on interpreting will provide students with the following:
1. Self-assessment and awareness on students’ real interpreting skills so that they may choose to continue learning both simultaneous interpreting technique and practice;
2. Practical advice on how to acquire and develop interpreting skills, style, flexibility and speed needed to find acceptable interpretation solutions while working from and into a language;
3. Immediate problem-solving skills in terms of content and style while translating;
4. Overall knowledge of the interpreting profession.


Bibliography:
• INTERPRETA Multilingüe: 118 Maria Gracia Torres Días. UMA Editorial
• Interpretazione simultanea e consecutiva C. Falbo, M. Russo e F. Straniero. Hoepli
• Tra il dire e il significare. Il linguaggio figurato nell'interpretazione simultanea fra italiano e spagnolo Nicoletta Spinolo. ETS
• Mamá, quiero ser intérprete. Gabriel Cabrera. Editorial Pie de página

Interpreting short text about current affairs, politics, business and administration, economics and contract law through ad-hoc training

Good level of comprehension of both spoken english and italian, good general knowledge of the topics to be dealt with during the course

Texts and recordings of speeches delivered during conferences and other working situations on the topics mentioned above

Material that may be handed over during the classes and bibliography referenced above

Oral test on the topics dealt with during the semester. Test is a simultaneous translation of a short text.

Classes, preferably not via zoom since presence is highly recommended

Italian