Chinese Iii and Mediation
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
This course is designed to complete the training on Chinese grammar and syntax, to enable students to understand economic, political, social and literary texts. An introduction to translation is also included, with a view to enriching the students' vocabulary and teaching them how to analyse complex syntactic structures and use paper dictionaries.
Besides language classes, the course includes a module dedicated to the role of language mediators in the public sector. Students will become familiar with different types of texts, they will acquire specialised terminology of mediation, both in Italian and Chinese, particularly with regard to the administrative and legal sector, and will develop oral and written mediation skills (Italian < > Chinese). These outcomes will be obtained through the use of real-life materials in Italian and Chinese and practical exercises.
Besides language classes, the course includes a module dedicated to the role of language mediators in the public sector. Students will become familiar with different types of texts, they will acquire specialised terminology of mediation, both in Italian and Chinese, particularly with regard to the administrative and legal sector, and will develop oral and written mediation skills (Italian < > Chinese). These outcomes will be obtained through the use of real-life materials in Italian and Chinese and practical exercises.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to read, understand and translate the proposed texts, as well as to produce oral and written texts by making use of the vocabulary and grammar structures learned. They will be able to understand and paraphrase relatively complex conversations on their own, also in the field of specialised communication, thanks to their ability to use the dictionary and their familiarity with research tools.
Moreover, students will be able to: understand and translate texts pertaining to the legal and administrative sector, both into and from Chinese; create new texts in Chinese from real-life examples used by Italian public institutions; master oral linguistic mediation strategies.
Moreover, students will be able to: understand and translate texts pertaining to the legal and administrative sector, both into and from Chinese; create new texts in Chinese from real-life examples used by Italian public institutions; master oral linguistic mediation strategies.
Lesson period: year
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
year
Course syllabus
The course consists of 80 hours and is divided into 4 teaching units, as outlined below:
Unit 1
Complex sentence structures: object fronting and passive constructions; simple and compound indefinite pronouns; comparisons.
Textbook units covered: Units 8-12 from Corso di lingua cinese intermedio.
Unit 2
Further language development through textbook units 13-18 from Corso di lingua cinese intermedio.
Unit 3
Complex syntactic structures in contemporary Chinese.
An introduction to translation, with particular focus on political, economic, and legal language, aimed at developing students' ability to translate using a dictionary as a working tool.
Unit 4
Linguistic and cultural mediation in the legal and administrative sectors.
This cross-cutting unit is designed to foster written and oral mediation skills (Italian <-> Chinese).
Unit 1
Complex sentence structures: object fronting and passive constructions; simple and compound indefinite pronouns; comparisons.
Textbook units covered: Units 8-12 from Corso di lingua cinese intermedio.
Unit 2
Further language development through textbook units 13-18 from Corso di lingua cinese intermedio.
Unit 3
Complex syntactic structures in contemporary Chinese.
An introduction to translation, with particular focus on political, economic, and legal language, aimed at developing students' ability to translate using a dictionary as a working tool.
Unit 4
Linguistic and cultural mediation in the legal and administrative sectors.
This cross-cutting unit is designed to foster written and oral mediation skills (Italian <-> Chinese).
Prerequisites for admission
Full mastery of the concepts acquired during the previous two years.
Teaching methods
During lectures, the Italian-speaking instructor will introduce new vocabulary and provide explanations of key grammatical and syntactic structures. She will also guide students through translations from Chinese into Italian of dialogues and readings, as well as translations from Italian into Chinese of selected sentences from the textbook. Particular attention will be given to strategies of linguistic and cultural mediation, with the aim of developing students' ability to adapt register, vocabulary, and structure to different communicative contexts, especially in professional settings.
The native Chinese-speaking instructor will focus on pronunciation and the writing of Chinese characters, guiding students through listening and speaking exercises.
Attendance in these practice sessions is an integral part of the course and is mandatory for at least 75% of the scheduled hours.
The native Chinese-speaking instructor will focus on pronunciation and the writing of Chinese characters, guiding students through listening and speaking exercises.
Attendance in these practice sessions is an integral part of the course and is mandatory for at least 75% of the scheduled hours.
Teaching Resources
Required Textbook
Bulfoni C., Sun X.L., Corso di lingua cinese intermedio, Edizioni Unicopli, Milan, 2018
Recommended Dictionaries
Han-ying cidian: A Chinese-English Dictionary (3rd edition), Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Beijing, 2010
Casacchia G., Bai Yukun, Dizionario cinese italiano, Cafoscarina, 2013
Zhao Xiuying, Il dizionario di cinese, Zanichelli, 2013
Bulfoni C., Sun X.L., Corso di lingua cinese intermedio, Edizioni Unicopli, Milan, 2018
Recommended Dictionaries
Han-ying cidian: A Chinese-English Dictionary (3rd edition), Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Beijing, 2010
Casacchia G., Bai Yukun, Dizionario cinese italiano, Cafoscarina, 2013
Zhao Xiuying, Il dizionario di cinese, Zanichelli, 2013
Assessment methods and Criteria
Examination Methods
The exam consists of a written and an oral component, both of which are mandatory. Students must pass the written exam in order to be admitted to the oral exam.
Midterm Assessment
At the end of the first semester, students may take an optional midterm assessment, which includes the following exercises:
- sentence reordering;
- multiple-choice cloze test (choose the correct word among A, B, C, or D);
- translation of sentences from Italian into Chinese (in characters);
- brief sight translation from Chinese into Italian.
Written Exam - Official Sessions
Official written exams include grammar exercises and the translation of a passage from Chinese into Italian, using a paper dictionary. Students who have passed the midterm assessment are exempt from the sight translation.
Oral Exam for Italian Students
The oral exam consists of two parts:
- reading, translation, and grammatical analysis of passages and texts covered during the course;
- a conversation in Chinese with the native-speaking instructor on previously agreed topics.
In both parts, particular attention will be given to the student's ability to perform linguistic mediation — understood as the effective interpretation and reformulation of content between the two languages in different communicative contexts.
Written Exam for Chinese Students
The written exam consists of the translation of a passage from Chinese into Italian, using a paper dictionary.
Oral Exam for Chinese Students
The oral exam consists of an interview with the Italian-speaking instructor. Candidates will be required to translate into Italian conversations and readings from the textbook Corso di lingua cinese intermedio (lessons 10-18).
The student's ability to mediate linguistically — through the reformulation and explanation in Italian of the course content — will also be assessed.
The exam consists of a written and an oral component, both of which are mandatory. Students must pass the written exam in order to be admitted to the oral exam.
Midterm Assessment
At the end of the first semester, students may take an optional midterm assessment, which includes the following exercises:
- sentence reordering;
- multiple-choice cloze test (choose the correct word among A, B, C, or D);
- translation of sentences from Italian into Chinese (in characters);
- brief sight translation from Chinese into Italian.
Written Exam - Official Sessions
Official written exams include grammar exercises and the translation of a passage from Chinese into Italian, using a paper dictionary. Students who have passed the midterm assessment are exempt from the sight translation.
Oral Exam for Italian Students
The oral exam consists of two parts:
- reading, translation, and grammatical analysis of passages and texts covered during the course;
- a conversation in Chinese with the native-speaking instructor on previously agreed topics.
In both parts, particular attention will be given to the student's ability to perform linguistic mediation — understood as the effective interpretation and reformulation of content between the two languages in different communicative contexts.
Written Exam for Chinese Students
The written exam consists of the translation of a passage from Chinese into Italian, using a paper dictionary.
Oral Exam for Chinese Students
The oral exam consists of an interview with the Italian-speaking instructor. Candidates will be required to translate into Italian conversations and readings from the textbook Corso di lingua cinese intermedio (lessons 10-18).
The student's ability to mediate linguistically — through the reformulation and explanation in Italian of the course content — will also be assessed.
L-OR/21 - CHINESE AND SOUTH ASIAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 12
Lessons: 80 hours
Professors:
Gallo Simona, Ornaghi Valentina
Professor(s)