Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature straniere e Culture moderne

Translating Japanese Texts

The course aims to provide intermediate and upper-intermediate level knowledge of the Japanese language.
At the end of the course, students will acquire competences in the four communicative skills envisaged by the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) at a level of C1 - C2 (level N2 towards level N1 of the JLPT - Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

The focus of the teacher's course will be on the translation of highly complex texts from Japanese into Italian.

Texts of various kinds - technical, commercial and informative - to be translated into Italian will be examined and, taking advantage of the hybrid nature and intrinsic linguistic heterogeneity of a medium of great social and cultural significance, texts taken from manga, audiovisual products and videogames will be translated in the Japanese context. 

This course will help the student to develop the skills necessary to work in the field of translation, both literary and non-literary.

At the end of the course, students will acquire competences in the four communicative skills envisaged by the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) at a level of C1 - C2 (level N2 towards level N1 of the JLPT - Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

Knowledge and Understanding:

Lettorato:

- The intermediate-advanced grammatical structures of the Japanese language and their functioning.

- The writing system and vocabulary of the intermediate and advanced levels of the Japanese language.

- The variations in written and spoken registers of the Japanese language at an advanced level.

Course by the main instructor:

- The concepts and terminology specific to describing the studied phenomena.

- The specialized languages, including technical, business, and manga language, and the related translation strategies.

- The notions and mechanisms underlying audiovisual translation.

- The concepts governing editing in the publishing field.

Applying Knowledge:

Lettorato:

- Related to intermediate and advanced levels of oral and written communication.

- Related to sociolinguistic and cross-cultural competencies.

Course by the main instructor:

- Related to the translation of a medium-high difficulty text from Japanese to Italian.

- Related to the critical analysis of a translation from Japanese to Italian.

- Related to the revision of a text translated from Japanese to Italian.

Ability to Draw Conclusions:

Lettorato:

- Regarding the level achieved compared to the entry level, thanks to the acquisition of vocabulary and specialized skills, and through repeated exercises and discussion sessions.

- Regarding the linguistic register and vocabulary to be used based on the situation or context.

Course by the main instructor:

- Regarding the translation strategies to be applied based on the type of text.

- Regarding the quality of a translation from Japanese to Italian.

Communication Skills:

Lettorato:

- Acquiring or consolidating communication skills.

Course by the main instructor:

- Being able to give a presentation in Japanese using the appropriate register.

Learning Skills:

- Adopting a study method aimed at lifelong learning and the practical use of the intermediate-advanced level Japanese language.

- Conducting independent research aimed at translating a text from Japanese to Italian.

This 54 hours course will be carried out through lectures and seminar activities focused on the translation from Japanese and its specificities.

In particular, the following topics will be addressed:
- the source texts and their translation strategies;
- the differences between translation, localization and adaptation;
- translation errors;
- the target texts and their revisions.

Examples of complex, sectorial and specialized Japanese texts already translated will be shown. For this reason, it is essential to have a solid knowledge of intermediate Japanese; however, given the nature of the course, it is equally essential to have an excellent knowledge of the Italian language.

After an introduction on the characteristics of the Japanese language and its translation difficulties, texts of various kinds will be examined to be translated together into Italian. Texts of various technical and sectorial nature will be analyzed and translated. Then, given the hybrid nature and the intrinsic linguistic heterogeneity of a medium of great social and cultural impact in the Japanese and international context, the students will challenge manga, audiovisual and game translation.

Students will also be required to give a presentation in class in Japanese on a topic agreed upon with the instructor using source texts in Japanese. The maximum time for each presentation will be ten minutes, and the evaluation will constitute part of the final grade.

To refer to Lettorato, please visit the Japanese Lettorato page

https://www.lingue.unito.it/do/home.pl/View?doc=Lettorati/giapponese.html

Teaching methods

For the 2024-2025 academic year, a "in presence" teaching method will be adopted, involving face-to-face teaching. 

The MOODLE will be used to upload materials used in lectures for presentations and other purposes.

Lectures will NOT be transmitted in streaming neither recorded, but any material used and/or support will be uploaded, together with audio/visual material for those who are unable to attend.

Attendance is not compulsory, but strongly recommended.

The acquisition of learning outcomes will be verified through the following methods:
1) Written exam aimed at verifying the skills of: grammar, reading and comprehension, translation and written production (written exam of the lettorato).
2) Oral exam aimed at verifying the skills of oral comprehension and production (oral exam of the lettorato).
3) Final Translation Exam (Prof. Ozumi): in addition to the in-class presentation of a topic previously agreed upon with the instructor, the student must write a paper on a text agreed upon with the instructor, which will include: source text and target text; a brief introduction; reasons for the translation choices and strategies adopted. The paper, complete with bibliographic references, must be sent to the instructor 10 days before the oral exam, which will be a discussion of the paper in addition to questions on the course content.

Students must take the three exams in the above stated order: passing each test is a prerequisite and essential to access the next one. The final grade will be obtained by averaging between the mark of the lectorate exam (written and oral average) and the mark of the language exam.

Attendance is not compulsory, but strongly recommended.

Consistent participation and diligent commitment demonstrated through completion of assigned exercises and participation in supplementary activities (e.g., translation seminars) will contribute to the overall final evaluation of the exam.

E-learning and support materials will be uploaded to the Moodle platform.

Students with physical disabilites or SLD (specific learning difficulties), please refer to the University's support page ( https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-con-disabilitaopen_in_new ) and admission informations ( https://www.unito.it/accoglienza-studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsaopen_in_new ).
The procedures for requesting support during exams can be found here:  https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-e-studentesse-con-disabilita/supporto-studenti-e-studentesse-conopen_in_new

Students with SLD are required to inform the lecturer at the beginning of the course so that, if necessary, an individual study programme tailored to their needs can be arranged, in addition to appropriate compensation and dispensation measures for examinations.

FURTHER RECOMMENDED READINGS ABOUT MANGA

Giacomo Calorio, "Tradurre il manga: vincoli, negoziati, interlocutori", De Peazza A. (a cura di), L'intraducibile - La comunicazione interculturale e la traducibilità, Mimesis Edizioni, Sesto San Giovanni 2021.

Asuka Ozumi, "Onomatopee giapponesi - Strategie di traduzione nel romanzo e nel manga", Manga Academica, n. 2, La Torre, San Marco Evangelista 2009.

Jean-Marie Bouissou, Il manga - Storia e universi del fumetto giapponese, Tunué, Roma 2011.

Paul Gravett, Manga - Sixty Years of Japanese Comics, Lawrence King Publishing, London 2004.

Cristian Posocco, MangArt - Forme estetiche e linguaggio del fumetto giapponese, Costa & Nolan, Milano 2005.

RECOMMENDED GRAMMAR TEXTBOOKS

Matilde Mastrangelo, Naoko Ozawa, Mariko Saito, Grammatica Giapponese (seconda edizione), Milano, Hoepli, 2016
Makino, Tsutsui, A dictionary of Intermediate Japanese grammar, The Japan Times 1995
Makino, Tsutsui, A dictionary of Advanced Japanese grammar, The Japan Times 2008

An electronic dictionary is highly recommended for those who don't already have one.

Alternatively, there are valid apps, but we recommend purchasing the Shogakukan Italian-Japanese and Japanese-Italian dictionary.

Students interested in incorporating Japanese Language 1 into their studies are strongly encouraged to register for the course so that communication with the instructor can be facilitated (via the mailing list).

Further readings will be given during the course.