CHINESE LANGUAGE (COMMERCIAL NEGOTIATION)

The course is part of the “economy and law” and “translation and interpreting” tracks of the BA degree in Language, Culture and Society of Asia and Mediterranean Africa, and aims to introduce students to the practice of Chinese-Italian and Italian-Chinese liaison interpreting.

The course aims to: develop the knowledge of the criteria and principles of liaison interpreting using Italian and Chinese as working languages, as well as of basic interpretation theories and their practical application; build the technical vocabulary related to the different aspects of commercial negotiation in both languages; develop memorization techniques and communication skills.

By attending and taking part in the activities that are part of the course, the students will be able to achieve the following learning outcomes:
1. Knowledge and understanding
1.1. Knowing the basic vocabulary of business in Italian and Chinese (and the processes that this vocabulary describes) and the syntactic structures of business Chinese, as well as understanding the written and oral texts that use them
1.2 Knowing the cultural norms that govern the practice of Chinese-Italian business negotiation and the importance of intercultural communication
2. Applying knowledge and understanding
2.1 Being able to correctly use the specialised vocabulary and syntactic structures of business Chinese in all the processes that require the application and communication of the knowledge acquired
2.2 Being able to apply intercultural competence to the practice of Chinese-Italian business negotiation
3. Making judgements
3.1 Being able to formulate and justify hypotheses in Chinese-Italian and Italian-Chinese interpreting, developing a critical approach to the assessment of alternative hypotheses
4. Communication skills
4.1 Being able to act as an interpreter in a simple Chinese-Italian and Italian-Chinese business negotiation using the appropriate vocabulary and linguistic structures
5. Learning skills
5.1 Being able to critically use Chinese-Italian and Italian-Chinese business glossaries and independently expanding them according to specific needs

Knowledge of the Chinese language (vocabulary and syntactic structures) achieved in the language courses attended in the first two years of the BA degree programme in Language, Culture and Society of Asia and Mediterranean Africa.

The contents of the course focus on the vocabulary and syntactic and communicative structures of business Chinese, as well as their rendition into Italian, with special reference to first contacts, requesting and providing quotations, payment methods, orders, packaging and shipping.

Barbara Leonesi, "Cinese & affari. Manuale pratico di cinese commerciale", Milan, Hoepli, 2011.
Further materials will be indicated during the course and uploaded to the Moodle space.

The exam consists of short Chinese-Italian and Italian-Chinese mock liaison interpreting. The contents of the mock interpreting are based on the dialogues in Leonesi’s book that students have analysed and translated during the course.

The course is taught in blended mode, with classes being taught partly through stand-up lectures (on ZOOM) and partly through e-learning. Stand-up lectures are taught by the instructor (Prof. Paolo Magagnin) with the assistance of the Chinese instructor (Dr. Wang Juan).

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