THEORY AND TECHNIQUE OF ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The course Translation Theory and Methodology (English) is part of the activities defined as affini/integrative, which characterize this Postgraduate Degree. The course will guide students in the acquisition of theoretical knowledge in the field of translation studies, which will enable them to develop their cultural background and transferable skills within their future profession according to the emerging needs of society and the language industry. The course consists of a one-semester module of 30 hours, partly delivered in blended mode in which theoretical-methodological teaching will be provided by means of lectures and seminars in which contemporary issues debated in the field of translationo at an international level will be addressed. Lectures and seminars will be combined with hours of in-depth personal study on periodically available materials and group discussions conducted in collaborative online mode (Forum on Moodle platform). The general objective of the course is to bring the students to a level of knowledge, reflection and ability to develop an independent reflection on the various theories and methods that have characterised the world of translation from the second half of the 20th century to the present day.

At the end of the course, students will be able to discuss and comment on the main theories of translation that have characterised the debate from the second half of the 20th century to the present day and will be able to weigh up the need to use specific approaches to translation. They will also learn the basics of meta-translational terminology, which they will use to justify their choices in the various applications to the study and practice of translation.
They will also be able to process and study the material provided by the lecturer in the course of the course with a good level of autonomy and self-assessment skills in relation to the acquisition of meta-linguistic and meta-translational content. Lastly, they will have updated and developed their translation skills through personal and collaborative strategies of analyis of the theoretical aspects illustrated during the course, also through the Forums conducted during the blended format hours. Students will have developed their cultural background and acquired skills that can be used in their future profession according to the emerging needs of society and the language industry.

Pre-requisites of this course are a level C1 of the QCER. A good level of autonomy in the study method and a substantial cultural background will favour a rapid acquisition of the content of the course.

The course will offer a diachronic overview of the development of the study on translation from the early linguistic approaches by Catford in the 1960s to the dynamic and cultural approach developed by NIda and the debate on the birth of a new discipline, Translation Studies, in the early '70s. Works by scholars such as James Holmes, Mary Snell-Hornby, Gideon Toury, Itamar Even-Zohar, Andrè Lefevere, Susan Bassnett, etc. will be taken into examination. Contemporary debates on translation ethics, gender issues and postcolonial and gender approaches to translation will be given space in the last part of the course.

Notes from the course.
M. AGORNI, La traduzione: teorie e metodologie a confronto, LED publishing, Milan, 2005.
G. BENELLI et al., The illustrated Survival Guide: Translators, Maurizio Corraini Editore, 2020, ISBN 978-88-7570-885-6

The oral examination at the end of the course consists of a discussion of the topics addressed during the course and included in the bibliography. Two weeks prior to the examination, students must also submit an individual paper of about 1000 words in English in which one or more of the topics presented in the book La traduzione: teorie e metodologie a confronto will be explored. The individual planning and execution of this activity and the respect of the deadline will be assessed as an integral part of the course.

Lectures and seminars. Self-assessment training.
Blended learning allows for greater student autonomy, which is especially useful in a Master's level course.
The course is purely theoretical and moments of individual reworking of theoretical concepts by the students are essential. For this reason, during the lessons, students will be provided with in-depth study material in the form of essays, videos, interviews, webinars and meetings with experts and specialists in the field, as well as bibliographic indications for further study. The blended course encourages the respect of the students' individual re-elaboration time, increases the production of critical thought and allows the development of greater autonomy in both study and individual research.

English

Lectures and seminars in English and in Italian.

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