Advanced Chinese language 1 and translation
Students attending this course are required to have certified a level A2+/B1 Chinese or possibly language proficiency (HSK VI).
The final exams consist in a written and an oral part.
The written part is composed of different sections:
- A listening comprehension test;
- Reading comprehension test;
-Vocabulary and grammar usage test;
- Paragraph/short essay writing;
- An Italian- Chinese translation text based on materials studied during the workshops.
The oral part will include making presentations, conducting conversations with the instructor on the topics covered in this term.
The main goal of the Advanced Chinese and Translation I course is to consolidate and increase the language skills acquired by students who have already studied Chinese for several years. In addition to increasing students’ communicative competence and awareness of social cultural norms of the Chinese society, and expanding the students’ working vocabulary and their understanding of complex syntactic structures, this course puts the students on track to pass the HSK V exam，certifying a B1+/B2 proficiency level according to the Common European Framework. At the end of the course, the students will be able to reach intermediate level and communicate effectively both in oral and written form in everyday situations.
Mandatory texts:
Ning, Cynthia Y., Stephen L. Tschudi, and John S. Montanaro. 2016. Encounters: Chinese Language and Culture. Student Book. 3. Yale University Press: New Haven and London.
Leonesi, Barbara. 2011. Cinese & Affari. Hoepli: Milano.
Additional materials will be uploaded on the course e-learning website.
Primarily conventional lectures, with occasional workshops on specific topics.
This course is highly interactive and student centered. They will be exposed to rich authentic text and multi-media materials and engage in conversations pertaining to real-life situations in Chinese language speaking societies. In mean time, students will also be exposed to business Chinese, on topics such as writing business emails, conducting business phone calls, establish business relations, requesting information, negotiation etc. The core session is learner-centered, in which Chinese is the language of instruction.
Along with the core lessons, two parallel translation workshops of 60 class hours will enable students to hone their translation skills in the two interdisciplinary curricula offered within the Master’s course in Modern Languages for International Communication and Cooperation, i.e.: juridical and economic translation; and linguistic, cultural and juridical mediation. During the workshops, the workshop teacher will offer a set of study materials, selected from real documents in actual use in a variety of relevant contexts.
One of the key objectives of the practice session is to provide strong translation skills, with specific regard to expressions and sentence patterns typically used in formal and literary written Chinese, which are very common in Chinese writing pertaining to politics, law, commerce, and a great number of socially and culturally relevant topics. By reading and translating texts of an increasing degree of complexity, students will acquire and learn how to use specialized lexicon and sentence patterns that will enable them to construct complex discourses in speech and in writing on a wide variety of topics regarding everyday China.
- Attendance to class is highly recommended.
- Non attending students should contact the course teachers.
- Day, place, and hours of teacher-student counselling will be agreed upon with the students.
- Additional materials and information will be published on the e-learning webpage of the course