Japanese Language and Translation I
A.Y. 2026/2027
Learning objectives
The course, which is structured into three modules, is designed for students who already possess a solid foundation in Japanese, equivalent to at least 300 hours of formal instruction, including official courses and practical exercises. A good command of the Italian language is also required. The aim of the course is to prepare students for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at level N3 or N2. Students will be introduced to the lexical and morphological components of the language structures and expressions studied, as well as to the principles behind their formation. They will learn to recognise these structures in written and spoken texts, and to understand their pragmatic relationship with discourse and context. Furthermore, students will learn to assess which structures are appropriate for various communicative situations, and to use them effectively both in speaking and writing.
Expected learning outcomes
Students will be able to identify, understand and appropriately use Japanese fundamental grammar, vocabulary and syntactical structures in relatively complex communicative settings. They will be able to put in practice what they have studied, paying particular attention to the sociocultural and communicative context in which they are required to speak or write. Students are expected to achieve level N3 or N2 on the JLPT scale, corresponding approximately to a B2-C1 level according to the CEFR.
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
Lesson period
year
Course syllabus
The course is divided into three modules, in addition to language practice classes. It aims to consolidate competence at JLPT N3 level while introducing and developing vocabulary, expressions, and morphosyntactic structures at N2 level. Students will also develop intermediate reading comprehension skills, study the most frequently used N2-level kanji, and examine the characteristics of Japanese business language in corporate and professional contexts.
Module 1: - Integrated Japanese: Introduction to Intermediate Level
Units 1-10 of New Approach Japanese Intermediate Course will be covered. The units include medium-length written texts featuring intermediate vocabulary and complex morphosyntactic structures, grammar exercises, prompts for sakubun composition, JLPT N3-level listening exercises, and a range of sentence patterns (bunkei), including:
· Comparison:
· State or similarity:
· Degree or change:
· Contrast:
· Reported information/hearsay:
· Time and duration:
· Conjecture:
· Prediction and expectation:
· Cause and reason:
Additional structures will also be introduced.
Module 2: - Integrated Japanese: Intermediate Level
Units 11-20 of New Approach Japanese Intermediate Course will be covered. These include medium-length texts featuring intermediate vocabulary and increasingly complex morphosyntactic structures, grammar exercises, sakubun prompts, JLPT N3- and N2-level listening exercises, and sentence patterns including:
· Comparison:
· State or similarity:
· Degree or change:
· Contrast:
· Reported information/hearsay:
· Time:
· Conjecture:
· Prediction and expectation:
· Cause and reason:
· Conclusion and inference:
Additional structures will also be covered.
Module 3: - Business Japanese
The third module examines the principal forms of correspondence used in corporate and professional contexts. Particular emphasis will be placed both on the accurate reading, interpretation, and translation of business-related texts from Japanese into Italian and on students' ability to independently produce written Japanese appropriate to professional communication.
Special attention will also be devoted to the advanced study of keigo (honorific language) and to selecting appropriate communicative expressions according to sociocultural context, hierarchical relationships, and the specific medium of communication being used.
LANGUAGE PRACTICE CLASSES (Esercitazioni)
During language practice classes taught by native speakers of Japanese, students will develop the four core language skills: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written production, and oral production. These classes are an integral part of the course and will be conducted in Japanese in order to provide students with an immersive language-learning environment.
In addition to the units covered in the textbook J Bridge to Intermediate Japanese, students will be required to study independently a list of 250 JLPT N2-level kanji. They will be expected not only to write the characters correctly but also to learn their readings and a range of vocabulary in which they occur.
Module 1: - Integrated Japanese: Introduction to Intermediate Level
Units 1-10 of New Approach Japanese Intermediate Course will be covered. The units include medium-length written texts featuring intermediate vocabulary and complex morphosyntactic structures, grammar exercises, prompts for sakubun composition, JLPT N3-level listening exercises, and a range of sentence patterns (bunkei), including:
· Comparison:
· State or similarity:
· Degree or change:
· Contrast:
· Reported information/hearsay:
· Time and duration:
· Conjecture:
· Prediction and expectation:
· Cause and reason:
Additional structures will also be introduced.
Module 2: - Integrated Japanese: Intermediate Level
Units 11-20 of New Approach Japanese Intermediate Course will be covered. These include medium-length texts featuring intermediate vocabulary and increasingly complex morphosyntactic structures, grammar exercises, sakubun prompts, JLPT N3- and N2-level listening exercises, and sentence patterns including:
· Comparison:
· State or similarity:
· Degree or change:
· Contrast:
· Reported information/hearsay:
· Time:
· Conjecture:
· Prediction and expectation:
· Cause and reason:
· Conclusion and inference:
Additional structures will also be covered.
Module 3: - Business Japanese
The third module examines the principal forms of correspondence used in corporate and professional contexts. Particular emphasis will be placed both on the accurate reading, interpretation, and translation of business-related texts from Japanese into Italian and on students' ability to independently produce written Japanese appropriate to professional communication.
Special attention will also be devoted to the advanced study of keigo (honorific language) and to selecting appropriate communicative expressions according to sociocultural context, hierarchical relationships, and the specific medium of communication being used.
LANGUAGE PRACTICE CLASSES (Esercitazioni)
During language practice classes taught by native speakers of Japanese, students will develop the four core language skills: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written production, and oral production. These classes are an integral part of the course and will be conducted in Japanese in order to provide students with an immersive language-learning environment.
In addition to the units covered in the textbook J Bridge to Intermediate Japanese, students will be required to study independently a list of 250 JLPT N2-level kanji. They will be expected not only to write the characters correctly but also to learn their readings and a range of vocabulary in which they occur.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is intended for students who already have a good command of Japanese, corresponding to approximately 400 hours of classroom instruction, including regular classes, language practice sessions, and seminars, or to the completion of the main introductory textbook series, such as Minna no Nihongo Shokyū, Genki Japanese, Impariamo il giapponese, or equivalent materials.
Students are expected to have mastered all grammatical structures corresponding to JLPT N5 and N4 and to be able to write approximately 550 kanji. These broadly correspond to the characters learned during the first three years of schooling in Japan, as well as those covered at JLPT N5, N4, and N3 levels or in textbooks such as Minna no Nihongo Kanji Eigoban I and II. A complete list of the required kanji, including readings and sample vocabulary, is available on the dedicated Ariel course platform.
Students are expected to have mastered all grammatical structures corresponding to JLPT N5 and N4 and to be able to write approximately 550 kanji. These broadly correspond to the characters learned during the first three years of schooling in Japan, as well as those covered at JLPT N5, N4, and N3 levels or in textbooks such as Minna no Nihongo Kanji Eigoban I and II. A complete list of the required kanji, including readings and sample vocabulary, is available on the dedicated Ariel course platform.
Teaching methods
The course consists of 80 hours of formal classroom teaching, divided into three modules taught over two semesters, supplemented by an additional 80 hours of language practice classes (see the official timetable).
The language practice classes are specifically designed to develop the four core language skills: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written production, and oral production. Students will also be assigned homework on a regular basis, which will enable instructors to assess their progress throughout the course. Guest lectures, seminars, or other events involving external instructors may also be organized.
Attendance is strongly recommended and is considered essential for comprehensive preparation for the final examination.
The language practice classes are specifically designed to develop the four core language skills: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written production, and oral production. Students will also be assigned homework on a regular basis, which will enable instructors to assess their progress throughout the course. Guest lectures, seminars, or other events involving external instructors may also be organized.
Attendance is strongly recommended and is considered essential for comprehensive preparation for the final examination.
Teaching Resources
COURSE MATERIALS
Required Reading
Modules 1 and 2
Oyanagi, Noboru. (2002). New Approach Japanese Intermediate Course ( ). Tokyo: Kenkyūsha. ISBN 978-4931315150.
Module 3
Mariotti, Marcella. (2019). Giapponese per il business. Guida al linguaggio nel mondo del lavoro. Milan: Hoepli. ISBN 978-8820385750.
Language Practice Classes
Koyama, Satoru. (2002). J Bridge to Intermediate Japanese. Tokyo: Bonjinsha. ISBN 978-4893584977.
Additional materials will be indicated by the instructors during the course.
Recommended Reading
Students who have gaps in their previous language training and have not yet reached an approximate JLPT N3 level are advised to work independently through the five volumes of the Shinkanzen Master JLPT N3 series ( N3), covering kanji, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension.
DICTIONARIES
Purchasing a dictionary is not compulsory; however, students are strongly advised to have access to their own print or electronic dictionaries. The market for electronic dictionaries is extensive, but the dictionaries included in such devices are generally based on, or reproduce, established print dictionaries. The following print dictionaries are therefore recommended.
Japanese-Italian
Marino, Susanna, & Wada, Yōko. Il dizionario di giapponese Zanichelli. 2nd ed., 2019. Bologna: Zanichelli. ISBN 8808720640.
Mastrangelo, Matilde, Saitō, Mariko, & Ozawa, Naoko. Dizionario Hoepli giapponese. 2013. Milan: Hoepli. ISBN 8820345935.
Wada, Tadahiko, & Nishikawa, Ichirō. Dizionario Shōgakukan giapponese-italiano. 2nd ed., 2008. Tokyo: Shōgakukan. ISBN 4095154527.
Kanji-Italian
Guerra, Simone. Kanji. Grande dizionario giapponese-italiano dei caratteri. 2015. Bologna: Zanichelli. ISBN 8808263347.
Japanese-English
Watanabe, Toshirō, Skrzypczak, Edmund, & Snowden, Paul. Kenkyūsha's New Japanese-English Dictionary. 5th ed., 2003. Tokyo: Kenkyūsha. ISBN 9784767420264.
Kanji-English
Haig, John. The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary. 1997. Tokyo: Tuttle. ISBN 0804820376.
Japanese Monolingual Dictionaries
Matsumura, Akira. Daijirin. 4th ed., 2019. Tokyo: Sanseidō. ISBN 4385139067.
Shinmura, Izuru. Kōjien. 7th ed., 2018. Tokyo: Iwanami. ISBN 9784000801317.
Required Reading
Modules 1 and 2
Oyanagi, Noboru. (2002). New Approach Japanese Intermediate Course ( ). Tokyo: Kenkyūsha. ISBN 978-4931315150.
Module 3
Mariotti, Marcella. (2019). Giapponese per il business. Guida al linguaggio nel mondo del lavoro. Milan: Hoepli. ISBN 978-8820385750.
Language Practice Classes
Koyama, Satoru. (2002). J Bridge to Intermediate Japanese. Tokyo: Bonjinsha. ISBN 978-4893584977.
Additional materials will be indicated by the instructors during the course.
Recommended Reading
Students who have gaps in their previous language training and have not yet reached an approximate JLPT N3 level are advised to work independently through the five volumes of the Shinkanzen Master JLPT N3 series ( N3), covering kanji, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension.
DICTIONARIES
Purchasing a dictionary is not compulsory; however, students are strongly advised to have access to their own print or electronic dictionaries. The market for electronic dictionaries is extensive, but the dictionaries included in such devices are generally based on, or reproduce, established print dictionaries. The following print dictionaries are therefore recommended.
Japanese-Italian
Marino, Susanna, & Wada, Yōko. Il dizionario di giapponese Zanichelli. 2nd ed., 2019. Bologna: Zanichelli. ISBN 8808720640.
Mastrangelo, Matilde, Saitō, Mariko, & Ozawa, Naoko. Dizionario Hoepli giapponese. 2013. Milan: Hoepli. ISBN 8820345935.
Wada, Tadahiko, & Nishikawa, Ichirō. Dizionario Shōgakukan giapponese-italiano. 2nd ed., 2008. Tokyo: Shōgakukan. ISBN 4095154527.
Kanji-Italian
Guerra, Simone. Kanji. Grande dizionario giapponese-italiano dei caratteri. 2015. Bologna: Zanichelli. ISBN 8808263347.
Japanese-English
Watanabe, Toshirō, Skrzypczak, Edmund, & Snowden, Paul. Kenkyūsha's New Japanese-English Dictionary. 5th ed., 2003. Tokyo: Kenkyūsha. ISBN 9784767420264.
Kanji-English
Haig, John. The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary. 1997. Tokyo: Tuttle. ISBN 0804820376.
Japanese Monolingual Dictionaries
Matsumura, Akira. Daijirin. 4th ed., 2019. Tokyo: Sanseidō. ISBN 4385139067.
Shinmura, Izuru. Kōjien. 7th ed., 2018. Tokyo: Iwanami. ISBN 9784000801317.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The final examination consists of two components: a written examination and an oral examination. Only students who achieve a mark of at least 18/30 in every section of the written examination will be admitted to the oral examination.
The written examination consists of:
· a kanji test covering both writing and readings;
· a grammar test;
· reading and listening comprehension tests;
· written production and translation tests (Module 3).
The oral examination consists of:
· conversation based on the textbook readings and topics related to everyday life;
· a simulated job interview conducted in Japanese.
The final grade, expressed on the Italian thirty-point scale, will be calculated on the basis of the average of the written and oral examination marks. Students' performance throughout the academic year will also be taken into consideration, particularly active participation in class and the timely submission of assigned coursework.
At the instructors' discretion, continuous assessment tests may be administered during or at the end of individual modules. The results of these tests may contribute to the determination of the final grade.
The written examination consists of:
· a kanji test covering both writing and readings;
· a grammar test;
· reading and listening comprehension tests;
· written production and translation tests (Module 3).
The oral examination consists of:
· conversation based on the textbook readings and topics related to everyday life;
· a simulated job interview conducted in Japanese.
The final grade, expressed on the Italian thirty-point scale, will be calculated on the basis of the average of the written and oral examination marks. Students' performance throughout the academic year will also be taken into consideration, particularly active participation in class and the timely submission of assigned coursework.
At the instructors' discretion, continuous assessment tests may be administered during or at the end of individual modules. The results of these tests may contribute to the determination of the final grade.
ASIA-01/G - Japanese Language and Literature, Korean Language and Literature - University credits: 12
Lessons: 80 hours