Session

This course is based on two different sets of experiences: post-editing for commercial translations on one hand, and literary translation on the other hand.

For the former, we will examine a few of the major problems of post-editing encountered in the translation practice in the language combination German-Italian. While some of them are due to be corrected along with the improvements that will be achieved in artificial intelligence, others will never be solved since a machine can hardly replace a translator’s purposeful approach such as the one contemplated by the Skopos Theory.

For the latter, we will examine several examples of literary translation in the combination German-Italian, and specifically the Italian published translations of authors such as Wolf Wondratschek, Ulrike Draesner, Antje Rávik Strubel, Ingeborg Bachmann and Max Frisch. The sheer quality of literary texts, whose goal is not to send a message and allow communication, but rather to reproduce an author’s voice, demands an approach to translation that goes beyond the translation proper and that only humans can perform.

Professionals and students interested in translation practice, post-editing practice and literary translation are welcome to join the course. The course is sponsored by the Landesverband der Übersetzer / Unione Provinciale Traduttori and is particularly aimed at the members of this local association of translators.