Corso di laurea magistrale in
Lingue dell'Asia e dell'Africa
per la comunicazione e la cooperazione internazionale

Targets:

The course provide a general overview of the main trends of contemporary Chinese drama literature and on recent translation studies theories on drama translation.  The students will acquire the theoretical frame useful to understand contemporary Chinese drama literature, and to contextualize plays and authors. In the same time, the students will acquire the capacity of elaborating the more suitable translation project to the scope of the translation (for publication, for performance, for subtitles). The course will provide the students with the ability to critically analyze the Chinese contemporary drama production and to trace and elaborate his own independent judgment on the main characteristics of the 3 different types of translation for a play (for publication, for performance, for subtitles). The teaching methodology adopted  will develop the linguistic skill useful to read, understand and elaborate a translation of a chosen play on the basis of the chosen scope of the translation.

- Leggere, tradurre e analizzare i testi proposti evidenziando i punti di resistenza alla traduzione.

At the end of this course, the student is expected to be capable of:

- describing and analyzing the main changes along the history of modern and contemporary Chinese drama

- identifying and critically describing the main problems of the translation of drama genre and its peculiarity in different historical period

- autonomously elaborating the translation project more suitable to the chosen scope of the translation (for publication, for performance, for subtitles).

- reading, translating and analyzing chosen plays, emphasizing the difficult points for translation and the possible solutions 

36 hours of formal in‐class lecture time

Written and oral Exam

Written exam:

A. Translation of an excerpt from a contemporary Chinese play (180 minutes).

B. Elaborate business email in Chinese with a given content (90 minutes)

C. Xiezuo (lettorato)

Please note: exams will be held over two days. The written test gives access to the oral exam. The written test will have a mark out of thirty

 Oral exam:

 A. Conversation on a chosen topic. The students will demonstrate to be able to express complex ideas on a chosen topic.

B.  Reading, translation and contextualization of the plays translated in class. The students should prove to be familiar with the content of the texts provided for the examination,  and to be able to contextualize authors and plays. 

Contemporary Chinese drama: translation and critical analysis

- General overview of the history of Chinese drama: analysis  and translation of critical essays on the history of Chinese drama from Chinese

- The translation of drama: theory, characteristics and difficulties specific to this literary genre

- The three different types of drama translation: translation for the publishing house, translation for performance, translation for subtitles.

- Translation practice: analysis and translation of contemporary Chinese plays. 

Pesaro Nicoletta, a cura di, The ways of Translation: Constraints and Liberties of Translating Chinese, Cafoscarina, 2014

Chan Leo Tak-hung, Twentieth century Chinese translation Theory:modes, issues and debate, John Benjiamins, 2004

Fong C.F. Gilbert, kenneth K.L. Au, Dubbing and subtitling in a Word Context, Hong Kong, Chinese University press   

Ferrari Rossella, Pop goes the avant-garde. Experimental theatre in contemporary China, London, Seagull, 2012, pp. 1-110.

Supplementary references will be suggested throughout the course.

The language tutorship (annual, mother language teacher: "lettorato") is integral part of this course .