Linguistic, Literary and Translation Studies

DEBORA VACCARI

This course aims to bring students to a high level of translation theory and practice. The ultimate goal is to create a scientific basis for the preparation of the MA thesis in a chosen topic in the field of linguistics (also contrastive linguistics) or translation.

Develop advanced skills in exegesis and translation of Siglo de Oro theatrical texts.
Promote philological reflection and academic research on Siglo de Oro theatre.
Apply translation from a performative perspective aimed at a contemporary audience.
Experience the practical dimension of staging, integrating theory and practice.

Knowledge of Spanish (minimum level C1).

The course is structured in two closely integrated parts, designed to provide both theoretical and practical training in the translation of Golden Age Spanish theatre.

First Part
This phase will provide the theoretical and methodological foundations of translation studies, with particular reference to the practices and critical models applicable to dramatic texts. It will be followed by a comprehensive survey of the historical, cultural, and literary context of Golden Age Spain, aimed at outlining the political, social, and artistic coordinates that made the flourishing of drama possible. A dedicated section will focus on the analysis of the meter and poetic structures characteristic of Golden Age theatre, essential for an informed approach to translation. The module will conclude with an in-depth study and translation of a Golden Age theatrical text, approached through a combination of textual criticism, philological exegesis, and dramaturgical reconstruction.

Second Part
The second part of the course will emphasize the performative dimension. Building on the translation produced in the first module, students will be guided in adapting the text for a potential staging intended for a contemporary audience, culturally and historically distant from the original context. This activity will allow students to explore the complex interplay between text and performance, integrating philological and translational skills with the practical demands of theatre.

Matteo Lefevre e Tommaso Testaverde, Tradurre lo spagnolo, Roma, Carocci («le Bussole»), 2011.
Matteo Lefevre, La traduzione dallo spagnolo. Teoria e pratica, Roma, Carocci, 2015.

Additional bibliographic references will be provided during the lectures.

Lectures.

Strongly recommended.

For the final assessment, students are required to submit a paper including a translation essay at least 10 days before the exam session.
On the day of the exam, in addition to discussing the paper with the Professor, the students must also demonstrate that they have acquired the theoretical and methodological foundations covered during the course.

What do we mean by “comedia nueva”?
What do we mean by target-oriented translation?

• Week 1 (4 hours)
  Course presentation, objectives, and methodology. Introduction to translation studies applied to dramatic texts


• Week 2 (2 hours)
  Theories and models of theatrical translation: issues of equivalence, rhythm, and orality


• Weeks 3-4 (6 hours)
  Theatre of the Spanish Golden Age: historical, political, and socio-cultural context.
  Key authors and genres


• Week 5 (4 hours)Metrics and poetic structures in Golden Age theatre.Analysis of representative examples


• Weeks 6-7 (6 hours)
  Selection of the text to be translated and planning of textual criticism work. Exercises in exegesis and philological commentary


• Week 8 (2 hours)
  Translation workshop: linguistic rendering exercises and collective discussion


• Week 9 (2 hours)
  Introduction to contemporary dramaturgy and the concepts of directing and adaptation


• Weeks 10-11 (6 hours)
  Adaptation workshop: analysis of staging requirements and contemporary audience expectations.
  Revision of the translation with a focus on performative aspects


• Weeks 12-13 (6 hours)
  Staging workshop: dramatized readings, exercises in rhythm and prosody, direction and stage space


• Week 14 (3 hours)
  Final presentation of the translation and adaptation project.
  Collective critical discussion and feedback