SPECIALIZED TRANSLATION OF ENGLISH POLITICAL-ECONOMIC DISCOURSE

Academic year
2024/2025 Syllabus of previous years
Official course title
TRADUZIONE SPECIALIZZATA DEL DISCORSO POLITICO ED ECONOMICO INGLESE
Course code
LM7405 (AF:503660 AR:286868)
Modality
On campus classes
ECTS credits
6
Degree level
Master's Degree Programme (DM270)
Educational sector code
L-LIN/12
Period
2nd Semester
Course year
1
Where
TREVISO
Moodle
Go to Moodle page
The course of Specialized translation of English political-economic discourse is held in the first year of the master's degree programme with a vocation for practical training in the translation of specialized and semi-specialized texts produced by media in the political and economic fields. The teaching activity will thus be characterized by a strong practical-applicative orientation, always based on the theories defined in the field of contemporary translation studies. In line with the course of study, both metalinguistic reflection and interlingual comparison will be two central aspects of the course. The course consists of a module of 30 lecturing hours.
The course of Specialized translation of English political-economic discourse aims to progressively introduce students to the theory, methodology and practice of specialized translation between English and Italian, with particular emphasis on textual analysis, and on the linguistic and cultural aspects of the translation process. Translation will thus be presented as a process of interlingual and intercultural mediation. In this regard, the course will provide students with the theoretical notions necessary for a mindful definition of the strategies necessary for the translation of political and economic texts produced by media. The expected learning outcomes are as follows:

1. Knowledge and Understanding: to know the main elements of the analysis of English political and economic discourse produced by media; to know the main aspects of the theory and practice of translation; to know the main aspects of English political and economic discourse from a translation perspective; to understand texts of high content complexity, especially semi-specialized texts produced by media on political and economic issues.

2. Applying Knowledge and Understanding: students will be able to analyse semi-specialized texts of political and economic type; to identify the linguistic and cultural problems involved in the translation process; to master the strategies and methodological principles on which the translation process is based; to identify and solve the translation problems through an accurate process of analysis according to the different text types, from semi-specialized to specialized; to know how to effectively translate the specialized lexicon.

3. Making Judgments: in an effective and autonomous way, students will be able to analyse, interpret and critically comment quite complex texts, as well as to write them. They will also be able to critically comment on their translation choices.

4. Communication Skills: students will be able to understand, analyse and translate texts of high content complexity as well as to write academic texts at the C1 level of the CEFR. Students will manage to communicate in a clear and well-structured way, with a limited number of mistakes, demonstrating their skills in interacting and talking about the topics presented in the course.

5. Learning skills: students will learn how to read, analyse, and translate complex texts, from specialized to semi-specialized, and to report on these topics, in both written and oral form; they will manage to self-assess their knowledge of the course contents as well as their language competence and their translation skills; they will be able to critically consult the reference bibliographic material as well as the lexicographical repertoires, both monolingual and bilingual.
English at the C1 level of the CEFR.
The course will be organised into four thematic units:
Unit 1. Theory and practice of English-Italian translation
Unit 2. Introduction to the analysis of political and economic discourse
Unit 3. Introduction to the English-Italian translation of political texts
Unit 4. Introduction to the English-Italian translation of economic texts
Textbook/Study material:
Slides, documents, and lecture notes that will be available on the Moodle page (https://moodle.unive.it ) during the course: the access key to the Moodle page will be disclosed at the beginning of the course (second semester).

Suggested readings:
- Baker, M., Saldanh, G. (2011) (Eds.). Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. London and New York: Routledge.
- Beard, A. (2015). The Language of Politics. London: Routledge.
- Gotti, M. (2008). Investigating Specialized Discourse. Bern: Peter Lang.
- Hall, C. J., Smith, P. H., Wicaksono, R. (2017). Mapping Applied Linguistics: A Guide for Students and Practitioners. 2nd Edition. London: Routledge (chapters 10-11).
- Munday, J. (2016). Introducing Translation Studies. 4th edition. London: Routledge.
- Nord, C. (1992). Text analysis in translation training. In C. Dolleroup and A. Loddegaard (Eds.). Teaching Translation and Interpreting. Training, Talent and Experience. Amsterdam-Philadelphia: Benjamins, pp. 39-48.
- Olohan, M. (2016). Scientific and Technical Translation. London: Routledge.
- Scarpa, F. (2008). La Traduzione Specializzata. Milano: Hoepli.
- Scarpa, F. (2020). Research and Professional Practice in Specialised Translation. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Schäffner, C., & Bassnett, S. (2010) (Eds.). Political discourse, media and translation. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
- Taylor, C. (2006). Which strategy for which text? Translation strategies for languages for special purposes. In M. Gotti and Š. Šarčević (Eds.). Insights into Specialized Translation. Bern: Peter Lang, pp. 27-53.

Dictionary:
Dictionary used during the MA programme, or
- Collins Cobuild Advanced Learnes English Dictionary.
- Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionaries of political and economic terminology:
- Brown G. W., McLean I., McMillan A. (2018). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics and International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Hashimzade N., Myles G., Black J. (2017). Oxford Dictionary of Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Reference texts for specific linguistic terminology:
- Biber, D., Conrad, S., Leech, G. (2002). Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Harlow: Longman.
- Yule, G. (2017/2020). The Study of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The expected learning outcomes are assessed in a final written exam. The exam, which lasts 150 minutes, consists in a structured test (a written English-Italian Translation test with a meta-commentary on the choices/strategies adopted in the translation discussed in the form of an argumentative essay). The exam assesses the student’s competence in the contents of the course. Students are allowed to use both a monolingual English dictionary and English-Italian bilingual dictionary. Students whose first language is not Italian are also allowed to use a “Student’s First Language-English” dictionary.
The 6-credit course consists of a module of 30 hours, which is held in the second semester and run in English.

Traditional teaching methods are integrated with the use of multimedia resources (Power Point, internet sites, etc.). Central is the students' active participation in the classroom activities, guided by the Professor to train students in how to translate political and economic texts into Italian, and carried out individually or in small groups.
English
written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development

This programme is provisional and there could still be changes in its contents.
Last update of the programme: 04/03/2024