BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Linguistic Objectives (Communicative and Expressive Skills / AAL C2):
By the end of the course, the student will have deepened and strengthened their competence in the four communicative skills at level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference. They will be able to understand highly complex texts and reformulate them using a different register from the original, modifying their textual structure.
Disciplinary Objectives:
At the metalinguistic level, by the end of the second-semester module, the student will have consolidated the analytical and metareflective skills acquired during the first semester and will be able to apply them to real texts before translating them into Italian and vice versa. Students will also be able to justify their translation choices, including in terms of semiotic equivalence, and will have learned to consult monolingual comparable and parallel corpora for the translation of journalistic texts to and from Spanish.
Both the linguistic and disciplinary objectives contribute to the achievement of the following learning outcomes, structured according to the Dublin Descriptors:
1. Knowledge and understanding (D1):
Understand complex, advanced-level (C2) written texts, recognizing their structure, register, communicative implicatures, intertextual references, and cultural and discursive connotations.
Demonstrate knowledge of the main mechanisms of linguistic variation (diatopic, diastratic, diamesic) and their relevance in translation.
Understand the role of intertextuality in the resemanticization and discursive manipulation often found in opinion journalism.
Be aware of the usefulness of comparable and parallel corpora as tools to support the translation process.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding (D2):
Reformulate written texts by modifying their register and textual organization, while maintaining coherence and meaning.
Analyze authentic texts through metareflective and pre-translation approaches, identifying implicatures, speech acts, and cultural references.
Use online corpora (such as CORPES XXI, CREA, Sketch Engine) to justify translation choices in journalistic texts.
Translate complex journalistic texts from Spanish into Italian and vice versa, taking into account communicative, pragmatic, and semiotic equivalence.
3. Making judgements (D3):
Critically evaluate translation strategies in relation to context, target audience, and communicative function.
Identify and interpret ideological elements in texts and in their translated versions.
Independently justify linguistic and translation choices, including those supported by corpus evidence.
4. Communication skills (D4):
Communicate accurately and fluently in both Italian and Spanish on complex and specialized topics.
Present and justify translation choices effectively, both orally and in writing, using appropriate technical language and structured argumentation.
Adapt discourse and register to the communicative context and intended purpose.
5. Learning skills (D5):
Integrate theoretical and practical tools to enhance language and translation competences.
Use digital resources (dictionaries, corpora, linguistic platforms) critically and appropriately.
Develop autonomy and reflective thinking throughout the language and translation learning process.
Course Prerequisites
Knowledge of Spanish at C1 level or higher.
Prerequisites: Passing the 'Spanish Language LMI – Linguistics and Translation' exam is mandatory before taking this exam. Familiarity with the topics covered in the first module of the course, held during the first semester, is also required.
Teaching Methods
1) Regarding disciplinary competences (official course taught by the professor):
Lectures will be held in Spanish, supported by PowerPoint presentations and authentic Spanish-language texts. The texts provided by the professor will be analyzed during the lessons to exemplify the methodology of textual analysis for translation, which is the focus of the course.
Translated texts will be corrected in class, and students will present their translation proposals, which will be discussed using the analytical framework taught in the course.
All PowerPoint presentations, texts, and materials used during the course will be progressively made available on the e-learning platform (Moodle).
2) Regarding instrumental competences (practical sessions/AAL):
Please consult the section of the university website dedicated to the University Language Centre by selecting Spanish – LLCS ("AAL Spanish language C2"):
https://www.unibg.it/studiare/frequentare/apprendimento-linguistico/spagnolo/spagnolo-llcs
Please note that the practical sessions are an integral part of the course and are essential for achieving the C2-level instrumental competence required to take the exam covering the two modules of the official course.
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of two phases:
a) the assessment of linguistic and comunicative skills, and
b) the assessment of disciplinary content.
Access to part b) is only granted after passing part a).
a) Assessment of linguistic and comunicative skills (AAL Spanish C2):
- Grammar and vocabulary test: A written test aimed at verifying mastery of Spanish grammatical structures and vocabulary. Use of dictionaries is not allowed. (90 minutes)
- "Destrezas" test – reading and writing skills: An integrated test consisting of one reading comprehension exercise and one written production task. (90 minutes)
- Pedagogical translation test IT>ES: Translation into Spanish of a text of approximately 230–250 words. Only monolingual paper dictionaries (including those of synonyms, antonyms, and collocations) and glossaries compiled by students during the year are allowed. Electronic dictionaries are not permitted. (60 minutes)
All three tests must be taken and passed in the same exam session. The grade is valid for 18 months; after this period, in order to access the disciplinary content assessment (part b), all tests must be repeated.
As these are partial tests, grades cannot be declined. All tests must be passed with a minimum score of 18/30. The final grade for the instrumental part is the arithmetic average of the scores obtained.
Once all tests are passed, students may access the official course exam. The language skills assessment (part a) may only be taken starting from the first exam session following the end of all lessons from both modules (i.e., the May session).
b) Assessment of Disciplinary Content (official course)
The assessment of Module B of the official course consists of:
- Translation from Italian into Spanish of an opinion-based journalistic text of approximately 150 words. (60 minutes) Only monolingual dictionaries and printed glossaries may be used during this test.
- Oral examination in Spanish on the disciplinary content of Module B. The oral exam will begin with a textual analysis of the excerpt translated in Test 1. The student will explain the main translation challenges encountered, analyze them using the methodology learned during the course, and describe the strategies employed to resolve them.
During the oral exam, both disciplinary knowledge (course content) and C2-level oral communicative competence will be assessed.
Final Assessment
- 1/3 of the final grade: AAL test (average of the three written tasks)
- 2/3: result of the oral examination on the official course (modules A + B)
All components must be passed in order to obtain a final grade.
Assessment Scale (out of 30 points)
- Excellent (30 cum laude): Complete knowledge, applied with precision and autonomy. No errors.
- Very good (30–27): Solid knowledge, correctly applied. Minor and infrequent errors.
- Good (26–24): Adequate knowledge, with some inaccuracies. No serious or systematic errors.
- Sufficient (23–18): Basic knowledge, with evident errors but overall sufficient understanding.
- Failing grade (<18): Incomplete knowledge, numerous errors that compromise exam performance.
Contents
The second module of the course is designed as a continuation of the first and will focus on the semiotic dimension of the text, considering the text as a product of a culture and an ideology that shape and influence its linguistic structures and intertextual references (topics covered in Chapters 5–6–7–8 of the textbook). The supplementary materials available on the course’s e-learning platform are an integral part of the syllabus.
The module ot the second semester includes translation into Spanish of journalistic opinion texts (especially columns and opinion articles). It will also offer a reflection on the metadiscursive organization of texts (based on Ken Hyland’s model) and introduce students to the use of comparable or parallel monolingual corpora (available online via Sketch Engine or the Real Academia Española, e.g., CORPES XXI), essential tools for verifying the appropriateness of translation solutions.
Online Resources
More information
Classes are taught in Spanish. The official course reading lists (available via the LEGANTO application) are final and include the titles that all students—whether attending or not—are required to study in preparation for the exam.
All students are also required to study the supplementary materials and texts that the instructor will upload to the course’s e-learning platform during the semester.
The DELE Spanish Diploma at level C2 or the SIELE GLOBAL Diploma at level C2 will be accepted as a substitute for the language skills assessment tests, with the exception of the translation test (see: https://docs.google.com/document/d/185_Z9S87doGYWIyzm7hU5ZaXkJVWhfuQYHCNaaUSXoI/edit?tab=t.0).
Should the course be delivered in a blended or remote format, changes may be made to the syllabus to ensure that both the course and exams remain accessible in these formats.
PLEASE NOTE: Course syllabi are valid for two academic years.