Hindi Language and Translation I
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The primary aim of this course is to expand students' prior knowledge of Hindi grammar, syntax and vocabulary so as to help them achieve a strong and confident command of both oral and written Hindi.
On the one hand, the course seeks to strengthen translation, communication and text production skills across a variety of genres. On the other hand, it aims to promote a broader and deeper understanding of the various contexts in which the Hindi Language is spoken and written, as well as of the different language registers used in relation to these contexts and to the diverse groups within Indian society. Students will be introduced to the translation and production of a wide range of texts intended for print or online publication (including on social media), such as literary excerpts, newspaper articles, legal and medical documents, and tourism-related texts. Another key objective is to equip students with a rich vocabulary, with a focus on one of the most distinctive features of the Hindi language, i.e. its wealth of synonyms, to enable effective interaction with the various components of India's socio-religious fabric. Lexical analysis, conducted from both a linguistic and a cultural perspective, will enable students to ensure effective multicultural communication and interaction with members of the diverse Indian diaspora. Lastly, a central goal of the course is to provide students with methodological tools to independently enhance their language skills, through the development of textual analysis techniques, memorisation strategies, self-correction practices, and listening and comprehension exercises.
On the one hand, the course seeks to strengthen translation, communication and text production skills across a variety of genres. On the other hand, it aims to promote a broader and deeper understanding of the various contexts in which the Hindi Language is spoken and written, as well as of the different language registers used in relation to these contexts and to the diverse groups within Indian society. Students will be introduced to the translation and production of a wide range of texts intended for print or online publication (including on social media), such as literary excerpts, newspaper articles, legal and medical documents, and tourism-related texts. Another key objective is to equip students with a rich vocabulary, with a focus on one of the most distinctive features of the Hindi language, i.e. its wealth of synonyms, to enable effective interaction with the various components of India's socio-religious fabric. Lexical analysis, conducted from both a linguistic and a cultural perspective, will enable students to ensure effective multicultural communication and interaction with members of the diverse Indian diaspora. Lastly, a central goal of the course is to provide students with methodological tools to independently enhance their language skills, through the development of textual analysis techniques, memorisation strategies, self-correction practices, and listening and comprehension exercises.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students should have developed a solid theoretical, practical and metalinguistic understanding of the Hindi language. More specifically, they are expected to acquire translation skills allowing them to confidently navigate the translation of diverse texts. They should also be able to interact effectively with the various groups within India's complex and diverse society, adapting their linguistic competence to different communicative domains and to the social, religious and cultural identity of their interlocutors. Furthermore, their command of Hindi vocabulary and syntax should enable them to identify the geographical origin and social and cultural status of Hindi speakers within the varied Indian context. Students are expected to be able to use Hindi not only to express their needs and describe their experiences and those of others, but also to argue a position or negotiate on a certain matter. Lastly, they should be able to rephrase contents from a variety of textual sources, both orally and in writing. Language proficiency will be assessed not only through the final written and oral exam, but also continuously throughout the year, as students will be invited to give individual or group presentations, participate in guided discussions on course topics, draft texts, complete listening exercises, and also perform sight translations. All these tasks are designed to help students monitor and evaluate their own progress.
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
In the course of the lessons, texts of various kinds (newspaper articles, essays, literary passages) will be analyzed, focusing on a series of themes aimed at illuminating some of the most debated topics in contemporary India, from the protection of the environment to the economic trends and models embraced by the country and their ethical implications, from the examination of India's socio-cultural landscape, investigated through the ways in which some of the country's major religious festivals are celebrated, to the analysis of the institution of marriage and the debate provoked by the elements involved in it, from motivation to gender perspectives. The variety of India's socio-cultural features will be further investigated through a comparison between the Ayurvedic and allopathic medical traditions and by means of the debate concerning the diversified condition of women in the country.
Besides analyzing the content of the texts taken into consideration, the lexical and syntactic choices made by the authors will be emphasized in order to both broaden and enrich the vocabulary mastered by the students and to promote greater and better argumentative skills in the students, who will be encouraged to formulate their own point of view on each of the topics addressed, both orally and in writing.
The syllabus is the same for attending and non-attending students: all the teaching material considered during the lessons will be made available on the Ariel page of the course. Attending and non-attending students who face problems in studying the texts and preparing for the examination are warmly invited to contact the professor for clarifications, explanations and, in general, for any help they may need to acquire the skills they are supposed to acquire by the end of the course.
Since class attendance is considered an integral part of the learning process, which is not only aimed at the acquisition of theoretical knowledge of a grammatical, lexical and syntactic nature, but, in equal measure, of expressive skills in both written and oral language, it is highly recommended to students.
Besides analyzing the content of the texts taken into consideration, the lexical and syntactic choices made by the authors will be emphasized in order to both broaden and enrich the vocabulary mastered by the students and to promote greater and better argumentative skills in the students, who will be encouraged to formulate their own point of view on each of the topics addressed, both orally and in writing.
The syllabus is the same for attending and non-attending students: all the teaching material considered during the lessons will be made available on the Ariel page of the course. Attending and non-attending students who face problems in studying the texts and preparing for the examination are warmly invited to contact the professor for clarifications, explanations and, in general, for any help they may need to acquire the skills they are supposed to acquire by the end of the course.
Since class attendance is considered an integral part of the learning process, which is not only aimed at the acquisition of theoretical knowledge of a grammatical, lexical and syntactic nature, but, in equal measure, of expressive skills in both written and oral language, it is highly recommended to students.
Prerequisites for admission
The students are required to know all the grammar, vocabulary and syntax of the Hindi language conveyed by the following textbooks:
M. Angelillo, Introduzione alla lingua hindi, Unicopli, Milano, 2020.
N. Sharma, Hindi Tutor. Grammar and Vocabulary Workbook, Hachette, 2018.
R. Snell, Complete Hindi, Teach Yourself, 2010.
Specifically, students should have a perfect command of the Hindi writing system and be able to read any Hindi text fluently and understand its meaning using a bilingual or monolingual dictionary. The grammatical, lexical and syntactic knowledge acquired in the previous degree course must be applied in both oral and written expression and comprehension. Overall, students should possess receptive and productive skills in Hindi language of at least level B1/B2 (Common Frame of Reference for Languages).
The prerequisites are the same for attending and non-attending students.
Please note that in order to attend the Hindi Language II course and to be admitted to its examination, the students must have passed the Hindi Language I examination.
M. Angelillo, Introduzione alla lingua hindi, Unicopli, Milano, 2020.
N. Sharma, Hindi Tutor. Grammar and Vocabulary Workbook, Hachette, 2018.
R. Snell, Complete Hindi, Teach Yourself, 2010.
Specifically, students should have a perfect command of the Hindi writing system and be able to read any Hindi text fluently and understand its meaning using a bilingual or monolingual dictionary. The grammatical, lexical and syntactic knowledge acquired in the previous degree course must be applied in both oral and written expression and comprehension. Overall, students should possess receptive and productive skills in Hindi language of at least level B1/B2 (Common Frame of Reference for Languages).
The prerequisites are the same for attending and non-attending students.
Please note that in order to attend the Hindi Language II course and to be admitted to its examination, the students must have passed the Hindi Language I examination.
Teaching methods
The teacher will use both lectures, if grammatical and/or syntactic topics are to be explained or reviewed, and guided debates in which the students will be invited to express their own point of view or to formulate summaries of the topics introduced and analyzed. In the course of the lessons, if useful for explaining and deepening the themes presented through the reading and analysis of the texts, listening to and viewing audio-visual material will also be used. The students will be also asked to translate the proposed materials, read their written works and take part in guided dialogues in which they will be encouraged to both argue their own point of view, questioning their companions on their opinions, and use the newly introduced and acquired vocabulary and syntactic structures.
Lessons will be held mostly in Hindi: Italian will only be used in translation exercises and whenever there is a need to explain or clarify certain aspects of Hindi grammar. The students will also be asked to interact with each other and with the teacher as much as possible only in Hindi.
Lessons will be held mostly in Hindi: Italian will only be used in translation exercises and whenever there is a need to explain or clarify certain aspects of Hindi grammar. The students will also be asked to interact with each other and with the teacher as much as possible only in Hindi.
Teaching Resources
A list of readings that will be analyzed and discussed during the course will be provided at the beginning of the lessons. The readings will be made available both on the Ariel page of the course and distributed from time to time during the lessons. Students who do not yet possess a dictionary are strongly encouraged to obtain one of the following vocabularies:
R.S. McGregor, The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1997.
H. Bahri, Rajpal Hindi English Dictionary, Rajpal, 2014.
R.C. Pathak, Bhargava's Standard Illustrated Dictionary of the Hindi Language (Hindi-English Edition), Bhargava Book Depot, Varanasi, 2004.
For those who would like to look for the materials that will be analyzed during the lessons, we list them below:
· Sabharval, Lajpat Rai. 2008. "Sādhanā Anuṣṭhān kī Navarātri". (newspaper article)
· Ranganathan, Jayanti. 2011. "Pahacān Banatī͂ Gharõ kī Deviyā͂", in Hindustan. (newspaper article)
· Nagar, Dr. Ravindra. 2007. "Jīvan ke Utthān kā Dīpotsava". (brief article)
· Short Film - Air Deccan. (short film)
· Janmejai, Prem. 2010. Azādī ke Māyane. (short sarcastic article)
· Sharma, Avinash. 2010. "Yahī hai Flight Choice". (newspaper article)
· The State Trading Corporation of India Ltd. 2010. Bhāratīya Arthavyavasthā. भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था | दि स्टेट ट्रेडिंग कॉर्पोरेशन ऑफ इंडिया लिमिटेड (stclimited.co.in). (official document)
· The Indian Rupee - "Rupaye ko Nayī Pahacān" (2010), "Rupaye kā 'R'" (2010), "Rupaye ke Symbol se Karoṛõ kā Vyāpār" (2010). (set of short articles)
· Bakaya, Kamala. S.d. Kyõ? New Delhi: NCERT (poem)
· Jaira, Madan. 2010. "Parāyā Hote-Hote Bacā Kamal". (newspaper article)
· Avasthi, Kirti. 2007 "Draupadī kī Hãsī". (moral tale)
· Anurag. S.d. Khel mẽ Khel. (short humorous piece)
· Yadav, Alok Kumar. 2008. "Date dar Date dar Date ka Funḍā".
· Pathak, Alka. 2007. "Prem Belõ kī Sĩcāī". (short literary commentary)
· 2009. "Prem Vivāh se Vimukh Hote Yuvā". (statistical report)
· Rani, S. 2008. "Pyār na Dekhe Jāti-Dharm".
· Bharadwaj, Komika. 2006. "Pyār Vivāh ke Us Pār". (report)
· Meenakshi. 2010. "Roz Byāhi Jātī haẽ 'Anandi'". (report)
· Chhammakchhallo. 2010. Samlaẽgiktā, Śādī aur Honor-Killing. http://chhammakchhallokahis.blogspot.com/ (blog piece)
· Jain, Poonam. 2010. "Śādī - Aisī bhī kyā Jaldī hai". (report)
· Bhatnagar, Anoop. 2007. "Śādī kā Registration Zarūrī Ho".
· Vaidik, Vedpratap. 2010. "Jāt Ginānā hī Manuvād hai" in Dainik Bhaskar, 2nd June.
· 2010. "Janagaṇanā mẽ Jāti". (short editorial commentary)
· Vaidik, Vedpratap. 2010. "Janagaṇanā se Jāt Haṭāo" in Jansatta, 27th May. (commentary)
· Baisantri, Kausalya. Excerps from the biography Doharā Abhiśāp.
· Premchand. 1931 Sadgati. https://www.hindisamay.com/content/464/2/प्रेमचंद--धनपत-राय-कहानी-संग्रह-मानसरोवर-भाग-4-प्रेरणा.cspx.
· Film - Sadgati.
· Short video clips on people's ideas about the system of Ayurvedic medicine in India.
· Short video clips on people's ideas about the system of Allopathic medicine in India.
· Singh, Umanath. 2008. "Āyurved kā Lohā Māne Duniyā" in Hindustan, 11th June. (newspaper article)
· Kumar, Anand. 2010. "Nirog ke Vāste Yog ke Rāste". (newspaper article)
· Film Clip - Anupam and Water.
· Shinde, Vijay. S.d. Pradūṣaṇa kyā Hotā hai. पानी के हाइड्रोलॉजिकल टर्म, हाइड्रोलॉजिकल शब्दकोश (Hydrological terminology in Hindi) (indiawaterportal.org)
· Chhammakchhallo. 2010. Ab Betiyā͂ Bojh Nahī͂. http://chhammakchhallokahis.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post_25.html
· Kumar, Ravish. 2009. "Chhammakchhallo kyā Kahatī hai? naisadak.blogspot.com.
· Maitreyi, Pushpa. S.d. Faislā.
· Sharma, Kshama. 2008. "Naye Daur kī Laṛakiyā͂".
R.S. McGregor, The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1997.
H. Bahri, Rajpal Hindi English Dictionary, Rajpal, 2014.
R.C. Pathak, Bhargava's Standard Illustrated Dictionary of the Hindi Language (Hindi-English Edition), Bhargava Book Depot, Varanasi, 2004.
For those who would like to look for the materials that will be analyzed during the lessons, we list them below:
· Sabharval, Lajpat Rai. 2008. "Sādhanā Anuṣṭhān kī Navarātri". (newspaper article)
· Ranganathan, Jayanti. 2011. "Pahacān Banatī͂ Gharõ kī Deviyā͂", in Hindustan. (newspaper article)
· Nagar, Dr. Ravindra. 2007. "Jīvan ke Utthān kā Dīpotsava". (brief article)
· Short Film - Air Deccan. (short film)
· Janmejai, Prem. 2010. Azādī ke Māyane. (short sarcastic article)
· Sharma, Avinash. 2010. "Yahī hai Flight Choice". (newspaper article)
· The State Trading Corporation of India Ltd. 2010. Bhāratīya Arthavyavasthā. भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था | दि स्टेट ट्रेडिंग कॉर्पोरेशन ऑफ इंडिया लिमिटेड (stclimited.co.in). (official document)
· The Indian Rupee - "Rupaye ko Nayī Pahacān" (2010), "Rupaye kā 'R'" (2010), "Rupaye ke Symbol se Karoṛõ kā Vyāpār" (2010). (set of short articles)
· Bakaya, Kamala. S.d. Kyõ? New Delhi: NCERT (poem)
· Jaira, Madan. 2010. "Parāyā Hote-Hote Bacā Kamal". (newspaper article)
· Avasthi, Kirti. 2007 "Draupadī kī Hãsī". (moral tale)
· Anurag. S.d. Khel mẽ Khel. (short humorous piece)
· Yadav, Alok Kumar. 2008. "Date dar Date dar Date ka Funḍā".
· Pathak, Alka. 2007. "Prem Belõ kī Sĩcāī". (short literary commentary)
· 2009. "Prem Vivāh se Vimukh Hote Yuvā". (statistical report)
· Rani, S. 2008. "Pyār na Dekhe Jāti-Dharm".
· Bharadwaj, Komika. 2006. "Pyār Vivāh ke Us Pār". (report)
· Meenakshi. 2010. "Roz Byāhi Jātī haẽ 'Anandi'". (report)
· Chhammakchhallo. 2010. Samlaẽgiktā, Śādī aur Honor-Killing. http://chhammakchhallokahis.blogspot.com/ (blog piece)
· Jain, Poonam. 2010. "Śādī - Aisī bhī kyā Jaldī hai". (report)
· Bhatnagar, Anoop. 2007. "Śādī kā Registration Zarūrī Ho".
· Vaidik, Vedpratap. 2010. "Jāt Ginānā hī Manuvād hai" in Dainik Bhaskar, 2nd June.
· 2010. "Janagaṇanā mẽ Jāti". (short editorial commentary)
· Vaidik, Vedpratap. 2010. "Janagaṇanā se Jāt Haṭāo" in Jansatta, 27th May. (commentary)
· Baisantri, Kausalya. Excerps from the biography Doharā Abhiśāp.
· Premchand. 1931 Sadgati. https://www.hindisamay.com/content/464/2/प्रेमचंद--धनपत-राय-कहानी-संग्रह-मानसरोवर-भाग-4-प्रेरणा.cspx.
· Film - Sadgati.
· Short video clips on people's ideas about the system of Ayurvedic medicine in India.
· Short video clips on people's ideas about the system of Allopathic medicine in India.
· Singh, Umanath. 2008. "Āyurved kā Lohā Māne Duniyā" in Hindustan, 11th June. (newspaper article)
· Kumar, Anand. 2010. "Nirog ke Vāste Yog ke Rāste". (newspaper article)
· Film Clip - Anupam and Water.
· Shinde, Vijay. S.d. Pradūṣaṇa kyā Hotā hai. पानी के हाइड्रोलॉजिकल टर्म, हाइड्रोलॉजिकल शब्दकोश (Hydrological terminology in Hindi) (indiawaterportal.org)
· Chhammakchhallo. 2010. Ab Betiyā͂ Bojh Nahī͂. http://chhammakchhallokahis.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post_25.html
· Kumar, Ravish. 2009. "Chhammakchhallo kyā Kahatī hai? naisadak.blogspot.com.
· Maitreyi, Pushpa. S.d. Faislā.
· Sharma, Kshama. 2008. "Naye Daur kī Laṛakiyā͂".
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination comprises a written test and an oral test: passing the written test is binding for access to the oral one. The written test, lasting a maximum of four hours, involves the writing of an argumentative text on one of the topics covered by the teaching syllabus. Students will be given a few topics to choose from, each of which will have been previously analyzed and discussed during the lessons. Besides writing an argumentative text, students will be asked to answer a number of questions relating to the topics covered and the relevant texts included in the teaching materials and bibliography. In the oral examination students will be first asked to correct the mistakes made in the written exam and subsequently or if no mistake has been made in the written paper, they will be asked to read and translate one of the texts included in the syllabus and to answer questions in Hindi asked by the professor in order to assess their ability to express themselves orally. The grade will be expressed in thirtieths. The candidate's written production will be assessed for grammatical, syntactic and lexical correctness, mastery and richness of vocabulary and its argumentative effectiveness. The student's ability to understand and interact effectively in an oral exchange, articulate his/her point of view clearly and fluently, using newly acquired syntactic structures and vocabulary, will also be assessed. Finally, the ability to analyze texts and use them as tools for learning and enriching one's linguistic knowledge will be assessed.
Serious grammatical, lexical and syntactical deficiencies, together with an obvious lexical poverty and a tendency to reproduce the syntactical structure of the Italian sentence, may lead to failure in the written examination. On the other hand, appreciable difficulty in articulating and expressing one's point of view and/or in answering correctly and fluently the questions asked in the oral examination may result in failure to pass the examination. The grade at which the examination will be passed will depend on the degree of grammatical, syntactic and lexical correctness, argumentative effectiveness and the mastery shown in expressing one's point of view and the required content in writing and orally. Each part of the written test (textual production and answers to the questions asked) will be assigned a mark, the sum of which will determine the outcome of the test. The assessment will consider both the content and its linguistic expression and formulation. Although no intermediate tests are scheduled during the year, participation in the lessons and, in general, the commitment and effort made throughout the year will be assessed positively, as well as participation in the teaching-related activities offered outside the classroom.
Serious grammatical, lexical and syntactical deficiencies, together with an obvious lexical poverty and a tendency to reproduce the syntactical structure of the Italian sentence, may lead to failure in the written examination. On the other hand, appreciable difficulty in articulating and expressing one's point of view and/or in answering correctly and fluently the questions asked in the oral examination may result in failure to pass the examination. The grade at which the examination will be passed will depend on the degree of grammatical, syntactic and lexical correctness, argumentative effectiveness and the mastery shown in expressing one's point of view and the required content in writing and orally. Each part of the written test (textual production and answers to the questions asked) will be assigned a mark, the sum of which will determine the outcome of the test. The assessment will consider both the content and its linguistic expression and formulation. Although no intermediate tests are scheduled during the year, participation in the lessons and, in general, the commitment and effort made throughout the year will be assessed positively, as well as participation in the teaching-related activities offered outside the classroom.
L-OR/19 - MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT - University credits: 12
Lessons: 80 hours
Professor:
Shankar Jishnu
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)
Reception:
11am-1pm