Teaching and Research Group Italian Language Translation and Interpreting
Chair: Prof. Dr. Mirela Papa
The Teaching and Research Group “Translation and Interpreting”, established within the Department of Italian Language, is composed of academic staff specializing in Italian, whose academic background is aligned with the fields of translation and interpreting. The group consists of the following members:
- Renata Martini, Dr. Adi Malo, Dr. Viola Adhami, Dr. Elda Kotorri, and Prof. Assoc. Dr. Mirela Papa, Chair of the group.
The group aims to improve teaching and learning by addressing the challenges encountered through the analysis of questionnaire results collected from students and other relevant stakeholders.
The objectives of the group include: reviewing the syllabi at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, monitoring the progress of the teaching process, supervising thesis topics and professional internships, and promoting study programmes. Participation in national and international conferences, publication of papers in proceedings books, and the exchange of research experiences and expertise with Albanian and international scholars are among the group’s main objectives, with the aim of promoting scientific research at both individual and team level in the fields related to Italian language translation and interpreting.
To achieve some of these objectives, the group has developed the project: “Translation of Italian Children’s Literature into Albanian”
Project Aim: To provide a comprehensive overview of translations of Italian children’s literature into Albanian and the cultural context in which these works were translated.
Research Areas of the Project:
- “Children’s literature, its characteristics and functions”;
- “Texts by various Italian authors translated into Albanian” – Study of a broad corpus of translated texts;
- Project Outputs: Recommendations of the project for young translators; Publication and dissemination of didactic research findings.
Target Group: Researchers/academics and students of the Department of Italian Language.
Group Activities:
- Conference with Dr. Klara Kodra: “Ricchezza di linguaggi e di messaggi nella letteratura italiana e i problemi di traduzione nella lingua albanese” (October 2022);
- Literary activity: “Italo Calvino – 100 Years since the Author’s Birth”;
- Cultural activity: “Fatima Scialdone – Cantando l’Italia”;
- Conference: “Italian-Albanian Cultural Relations in the Age of Media”; Book promotion: Ciao Shqipëria by Vito Saracino;
- Workshop: “Translating for Young Readers”;
- Translation competition: “Translating for Young Researchers”;
- Project summary brochure: “Translation of Italian Children’s Literature into Albanian”;
- Activities within the framework of the University of Siena Agreement: training sessions, workshops, open lectures, videoconferences, seminars and reciprocal mobility activities.
Research Areas addressed through these activities:
- “Didactic Research Findings in Italian Language Translation and Interpreting Applicable to Classroom Practice”;
- “Italian Culture and Literature in Albania”;
- Conference: “40th Anniversary of the Department of Italian Language at the Faculty of Foreign Languages” (January–December 2024);
- Translation competition: “Technical and Literary Translation and Interpreting” (May 2024).
