Language, Culture and Translation - Italian

llsti2150  2026-2027  Louvain-la-Neuve

Language, Culture and Translation - Italian
5.00 credits
30.0 h + 30.0 h
Q2
> Schedule
Teacher(s)
Molino Guerrino;
Language
Italian
Main themes
This teaching unit will address different themes, both written and oral, such as: 
  • current political, economic, social and cultural events of the countries studied; 
  • contemporary history and political organisation of the countries studied; 
  • implicit cultural, historical or political references present in the texts to be translated or speeches to be interpreted;  
  • specific features of Italian that are useful for a translator/interpreter working into French. 
Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

Contribution of teaching unit to learning outcomes assigned to programme 
This unit contributes to the acquisition and development of the following learning outcomes, as assigned to the Master's degree in translation: 
  • understand the function of language variations (social, geographical or historical) and use the appropriate grammatical, lexical and idiomatic structures of their working languages (01 – Language and culture); 
  • identify cultural elements, values and references in the written or oral text (including presuppositions, allusions and stereotypes) and write in accordance with the cultural conventions, and conventions of genre and rhetorical standards (02 – Language and culture); 
  • draft texts for specific purposes in one or more of their working languages, taking into account specific situations, recipients and constraints (9 – Translation). 
Specific learning outcomes on completion of teaching unit 
On completing this unit the student is able to: 
  • identify and employ documentation that is pertinent and useful in comprehending, and enlarging upon, the themes and questions addressed; 
  • read, understand and summarise Italian written texts and audio-visual material relating to themes and questions addressed;  
  • classify chronologically the most significant political processes of the countries studied, applying high-quality analysis and clear expression and respecting the terminology specific to the topic; 
  • bring together similar elements from miscellaneous sources to achieve a coherent, high-quality informational whole; 
  • understand, explain, situate and illustrate both the concepts addressed in the course and the implicit cultural, historical and political references present in the material to be translated or interpreted;  
  • fluently extemporize ideas and opinions on current political, economic, social and cultural affairs with clarity and attention to accuracy;  
  • render the essential content of complex messages in Italian with rapidity and in a structured way with the aim of facilitating intercultural and interlinguistic mediation;  
  • present, orally and in written form, an individual work of analysis dealing with historical, cultural and linguistic topics addressed in the course and observing the rules specific to writing and public speaking in Italian; 
  • apply to translating and interpreting the concepts addressed in the course. 
 
Content
The course is organized around two axes, one historical, the other linked to everyday life in Italy . The first will consist of an overview of Italian history from the early Middle Ages to the present day. It will focus in particular on literary and artistic aspects of the studied periods. The second concentrates on politiics, economics, social life, sports and culture in Italy.
 
Teaching methods
Lectures and students presentations.
Evaluation methods
Oral examination on both the issues of the lectures and on a topic chosen by the student in connection with the content of the lessons for the historical part. Continuous summative assessment for the other part.
Other information
/
Online resources
www.accademiadellacrusca.it
Bibliography
Serge BERNSTEIN, Pierre MILZA, L'Italie contemporaine. Des nationalistes aux Européens, Parigi, Armand Colin, 1973, 422 p.

Peter BRAND, Lino PERTILE, The Cambridge History of Italian Literature, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1996

Paolo D'ACHILLE, L'italiano contemporaneo, Il Mulino, 2003.

Ugo DOTTI, Storia della letteratura italiana, Firenze, Carocci, 2007.

Pierre INTRAVAIA, Pierre SCAVÉE, Traité de stylistique comparée. Analyse comparative de l'italien et du français, Didier, 1979.

Sergio LUBELLO, Lezioni d'italiano, Il Mulino, 2014.

Claudio MARAZZINI, La storia della lingua italiana attraverso i testi, Il Mulino, 2006.

Pierre MILZA, Histoire de l'Italie des origines à nos jours, Parigi, Fayard, 2005.

Lucio VILLARI, Bella e perduta. L'Italia del Risorgimento, Bari, Laterza, 2012 (1a ed. 2009), 345 p. (Economica Laterza, 595).
Faculty or entity
> LSTI


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
Master [120] in Translation
TRAD2M
5