Learning objectives

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- recognize translation relevant text typologies;
- analyse text types from the point of view of translation;
- demonstrate knowledge about text specific translation problems;
- solve translation problems occurring in the German-Italian and Italian-German translations of texts related to tourism and commerce;
- produce target texts which are coherent with the text function and audience, on the basis of small translation assignment (German-Italian).

Prerequisites and basic notions

- Knowledge and competences in German linguistics acquired during previous years of university study, as well as German language proficiency at CEFR level C1.
- Erasmus students are requested to contact the instructor before the beginning of the course.

Program

The aim of the course is to develop an understanding of the linguistic specificities of professional communication. The thematic units consist of a theoretical introduction and discussion, followed by an applied component in which the theoretical content is used in realistic linguistic contexts in the commercial and/or tourism domains.
Students will have the opportunity to further develop analytical approaches acquired during their undergraduate studies (syntax, morphology, and phonetics/phonology), as well as to strengthen their mediation skills.
By way of example, topics addressed include advertising, brand naming, the drafting of linguistically appropriate business emails, complaints (as a textual genre and from the perspective of conversation analysis), intercultural communication in business contexts, the use of neologisms and loanwords, as well as the handling of different regional standards, particularly with regard to pronunciation and specialised vocabulary.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Lectures combining theoretical content and practical exercises.
The course is taught in German.

Learning assessment procedures

All students (both attending and non-attending) will take a final written examination during the official exam sessions. The written test consists of open-ended questions and the analysis of linguistic data/texts. It is designed to assess:
knowledge of the basic features of the theoretical concepts discussed in class;
the ability to apply these concepts in professional contexts;
proficiency in the use of the most important analogue and digital tools (in particular databases and related search and data management tools, such as Sketch Engine, the Variantenwörterbuch, OWID, and AADG).
Admission to the written examination is subject to the successful completion of a C2-level certification provided by the CLA or by another accredited institution.

Evaluation criteria

Scope of the knowledge and skills demonstrated; clarity and precision of the responses, including the correct use of terminology.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final grade is calculated as the average between the mark obtained in the course examination and the mark achieved in the C2-level certification test taken at the CLA or at another accredited institution.

Exam language

tedesco Deutsch

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