BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to broaden language skills to reach level 4 of the HSK certification (or level 3 of the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standard), to introduce cultural knowledge related to the Sinosphere in Chinese, to develop translation skills through the translation of authentic texts from Chinese into Italian and the discussion of translation strategies, and to enhance written production in Chinese.
From a linguistic perspective, achieving the target level will allow students to engage in conversations on both concrete and abstract topics with reasonable fluency, to understand and summarize in Chinese the main points of authentic texts of medium difficulty, translate them into Italian, and produce short texts in Chinese on topics within their area of interest or covered in class.
To achieve these language objectives, it is essential—though not formally mandatory—to also attend the Chinese Level 3 Language Learning Activities (AAL).
Course Prerequisites
Knowledge of the Chinese language equivalent to level 2-3 of the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standard (comparable to HSK3).
Prerequisite: for students enrolled in the Degree Program in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, passing the Chinese Language 2 – Linguistics and Translation exam is mandatory before taking this exam.
Teaching Methods
Lectures involve the active participation of students through the translation of assigned texts and discussion of their content, linguistic features, and translation strategies. Specific activities aimed at developing communicative competence and written production in Chinese are offered through the Chinese Level III AAL (see the dedicated page on the CLA website).
The CLA also provides a tutoring service throughout the academic year, which students can access for further clarification on course content or to make up for any reinforcement activities.
Assessment Methods
For students of the Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures course, access to the exam is permitted only after successfully passing the Chinese Language 2 -Linguistics and translation exam.
The assessment consists of a written part and an oral part, which includes a listening test. Access to the oral exam is granted only after passing the written part.
Written exam: sentence composition using expressions/structures introduced during the course; short translation from Italian into Chinese; open-ended questions in Chinese on a predefined number of texts studied in class; translation of a text from Chinese.
The result of the written exam is valid for 18 months.
Oral exam: assessment of the student’s communicative competence at the expected level through a short speech on pre-assigned topics; presentation of a PowerPoint on a chosen topic related to contemporary China; reading and discussion of the texts studied in the course.
Listening test: dictation of characters and multiple-choice questions based on HSK4-level conversations.
To pass the exam, all three parts must be passed.
The final grade is calculated based on the average of the scores obtained in the different components and will be published on the student’s online page.
Assessment criteria:
- Open-ended questions in Chinese: evaluated based on the richness of specific vocabulary and structures used, coherence of the exposition, and grammatical accuracy.
- Translation: evaluated based on accuracy in text comprehension and the appropriate application of translation strategies into Italian.
- Oral exam: evaluated based on fluency, clarity of pronunciation, and grammatical coherence and accuracy in the speech and PowerPoint presentation prepared by the student.
More detailed information about the tests will be published in the Chinese Language 3 course section on Moodle before the exam sessions.
Grading Scale (out of 30):
- Excellent (30 with honors): comprehensive skills, applied with precision and autonomy. No errors.
- Very Good (30–27): solid skills, correctly applied. Minor and non-recurring errors.
- Good (26–24): adequate skills, with some inaccuracies. Errors not serious or systematic.
- Sufficient (23–18): basic skills, with evident errors but sufficient understanding.
- Insufficient (<18): insufficient skills, numerous errors that compromise the exam result.
Contents
- Abbiati, M.; Zheng R.Y., Dialogare in cinese, Vol. II, Venice, Cafoscarina, 2011, Lessons 43–48.
- Texts and teaching materials published on the Chinese Language – Year III e-learning course (Moodle)
- Linguistic and grammatical content: expansion of communicative functions, listening skills, and vocabulary; introduction to the lexical, syntactic, and expressive features of written language and formal register.
- Cultural content: reading of adapted texts on classical Chinese philosophy and its influence on modern Chinese language and culture; introduction to selected contemporary literary authors through the reading of authentic texts. Analysis of vocabulary, linguistic formulas, and content.
- Translation of authentic texts of various types (press, internet, public awareness campaigns, contemporary literature) related to current Chinese affairs, with a particular focus on social phenomena.
The Language Learning Activities (AAL) Chinese Level III consolidates the lexical and grammatical knowledge introduced in the course and develops oral interaction and written production skills in Chinese. The content of the Chinese Level III AAL is described on the CLA page dedicated to the Chinese language.
Online Resources
More information
Exam Texts
The list of exam texts for the official course includes the titles that are essential for exam preparation, both for attending and non-attending students.
The list is available in this same syllabus under the section "Online Resources – Leganto – Exam Texts."
The teaching materials prepared by the teacher and provided during the course are all available in the Chinese Language 3rd Year e-learning course.
Regular attendance of the course is strongly recommended.