SERBIAN AND CROATIAN LANGUAGE – LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION 2

A part of the Master's Degree Programme in European, American and Postcolonial Language and Literature, this course is intended for students interested in acquiring a detailed knowledge of the Serbian and Croatian language. The teaching of Serbian and Croatian language consists of theory lessons and linguistic exercises. The course aims to bring students to a C1 level of language competence, as indicated by the Common European Framework of Reference for Language Knowledge (CEFR). The language exercises are held throughout the year, while the theory lessons are held in the second semester.

By the end of the course students will be able to:

- Knowledge and understanding
Demonstrate advanced knowledge of Serbian and Croatian, including morphosyntactic, lexical, and pragmatic aspects.

- Applying knowledge and understanding
Apply linguistic knowledge to analyze and understand texts of various styles and topics.
Translate literary texts from Serbian/Croatian into Italian using appropriate translation strategies and methods introduced during the course.

- Making judgements
Critically assess translation and interpretive choices, justifying them based on context and textual purpose.
Select and use reference tools—such as grammars, dictionaries, online resources, and bibliographic catalogues—in a conscious and critical manner.

- Communication skills
Clearly and effectively communicate linguistic and translational analyses both orally and in writing.

-Learning skills
Demonstrate autonomy in study and research, showing the ability to further develop and deepen language and translation competences.

B2 level in Serbian and/or Croatian according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Language Knowledge (CEFR).

Some of the topics covered (theory lessons):

- Translation theories and practices
- Translation methods and procedures
- Textual analysis (style, function, register, etc.)
Literary Translation Laboratory:
- Translation from Bosnian / Croatian / Montenegrin / Serbian of (mostly) literary texts
- Revision of the translation: critical analysis of the strategies and techniques used

Language exercises (Aleksandra Mladenović):

1. Syntactic Competence
Simple sentence:
• Review of simple sentence structures (word order, particularities of emphasis and intonation).
• Marked and unmarked use of cases in sentence construction.
• Modal, aspectual, and causative verbs in advanced contexts.

Complex sentence:
• In-depth study of subordinate clauses (relative, conditional, temporal, causal, consecutive, final, concessive, comparative).
• Impersonal constructions and implied subjects.
• Indirect speech and its transformation from direct speech.
• Complex hypothetical structures (irrealis, potential, and counterfactual hypotheses in the past).

2. Lexical Competence
• Expansion of thematic vocabulary (politics, economy, society, science, media).
• Idiomatic expressions, set phrases, and common collocations.
• Synonymy and semantic nuances between words with similar meanings.

3. Textual Competence
• Production and comprehension of complex and structured texts (newspaper articles, short essays, reviews, interviews).
• Techniques for textual cohesion and coherence: correct use of logical connectors, pronouns, stylistic repetition, and paraphrasing.
• Analysis and production of summaries, paraphrases, and commentaries.

Theory lessons:
Diadori, P., Teoria e tecnica della traduzione. Strategie, testi e contesti, Milano, Mondadori Education, 2012.
Osimo B., Manuale del traduttore, 3ª ed., Milano, Hoepli, 2011.
Eco U., Dire quasi la stessa cosa. Esperienze di traduzione, Milano, Bompiani, 2010.

Language exercises (Aleksandra Mladenović):
Material provided in class.

The exam consists of a written and oral test. The written test, whose aim is to verify the acquired level (C1), consists of two parts:
1) translation from Serbian/Croatian into Italian of a literary text of 1800–2000 characters (120 minutes)
2) grammar test (90 minutes).
The oral exam is aimed at verifying communication skills (expected level C1) and oral expression as well as independent judgment on the topics addressed during the course.

written and oral

In the written exam, the translation of a literary text is worth up to 60 points, while the grammar section is worth up to 40 points.
The grading of the exam is determined by: 1. knowledge of the topics covered during the course (up to 10 points); 2. ability to deepen the topic requested by the instructor (up to 5 points); 3. detailed and precise knowledge (up to 5 points); 4. confidence in the presentation (up to 5 points); 5. ability to independently structure the discourse (up to 5 points).

Lectures and translation workshops. Active participation is highly recommended both in the classroom and on moodle.

The theoretical part of the course will take place in the second semester. The exercises begin with the academic year.
Non-attending students are invited to contact the professor at the beginning of the academic year and at the beginning of the second semester.