Language and Culture courses are the fundamental cross-disciplinary basis that allow students to successfully deal with all the other courses. In addition to English, which is compulsory (A Language), students choose another language (B Language) from the following: Spanish, German, French, Russian and Ukrainian.

Language and Culture classes are composed of a maximum of 25 students and at least one third of the courses take place in the language labs. The English class with a lower language proficiency level also has the opportunity to benefit from additional hours of practice. The importance of cultural knowledge is stressed from the very first year and both first and second year exams include a part concerning the society and culture of the relevant countries.

In the first year the course is an introduction to vocabulary, phonetics, spelling and the basic morphosyntactic structures of the chosen language, so that students are able to analyse, understand and produce oral and written texts of various types in the foreign language. In the second year, students study the different varieties (e.g. British and American English) in more depth and develop the ability to analyse and produce written and oral argumentative texts through a more detailed analysis of more complex syntactic structures. There are both lectures, aimed at studying the structure of the language in more depth, and workshop-based classes with individual and group practical exercises. The course also covers analysis of narrative texts, audiovisual tools, newspaper articles and current affairs blogs.

Passing the Language and Culture 1 exam is a prerequisite for admission to the Language and Culture 2 exam.

The three-year language programme ends with the Language and Linguistics course (of both A and B languages) where students focus on text linguistics and analyse different text types. The different registers of language are studied in more depth so that students can recognise and select the most appropriate one in both academic and workplace contexts. This is not only the natural conclusion to a coherent and comprehensive course, but it also prepares students for the analysis they must apply to their final dissertation.

Passing the Language and Culture 2 exam is a prerequisite for admission to the Language and Linguistics exam.

In addition to A and B languages, students must choose a third language (language C) that will be added to their curriculum starting from the second year. Unlike languages A and B, for this two-year language course, students will only take Language 1 and 2 exams and not the written and oral mediation exams (translation and interpreting). They can choose among Arabic, Chinese, LIS (Italian Sign Language), Japanese, Portuguese and Russian.

Courses deal with the four fundamental linguistic components: oral and written comprehension and production. In addition to the study of grammar and the development of communicative skills, students analyse the distinctive elements of the relevant culture so that they acquire an adequate understanding of the language in its socio-cultural context.

Passing the Language C exam is a prerequisite for admission to the second optional Year 2 language exam.

These courses are structured so that students acquire solid theoretical foundations, which are essential prerequisites for developing advanced skills as professional translators and interpreters. These theoretical fundamentals are provided mainly by the Linguistics and Italian Language courses.

The course covers the main principles of the scientific study of language, as a human faculty, and of languages in their multiple aspects, describing the complex principles that underlie their functioning. Although each speaker uses language naturally, each aspect of it is governed by rules and students will gain an understanding of how these rules work. The Linguistics course provides students with the tools to analyse the different domains of language structure (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics). Furthermore the course introduces the criteria for language classification, with particular emphasis on the typological criterion. The introduction of the theoretical principles of the subject is always integrated with classroom exercises and a specific pronunciation workshop, enabling our students to introduce themselves confidently as true language professionals in all oral communication situations. The Theory of Linguistic Mediation module is also part of this course.

Passing the Linguistics exam is a prerequisite for admission to the Applied Linguistics exam.

The Applied Linguistics course is divided into three modules
Module 1: Text analysis
Module 2: Sociolinguistics
Module 3: Discourse analysis

Text analysis
This module aims at providing students with the tools they need for a better understanding and interpretation of texts. For this reason, the course introduces the fundamental principles of textuality.
The focus is on:
(a) the description of the fundamental procedures that build text cohesion;
(b) the description of the elements that contribute to text coherence. Finally, the course presents some ways of classifying texts into ‘text types’ on the basis of structural and functional parameters.
In this module, theory is constantly integrated with practice exercises.

Sociolinguistics
This module analyses language as a ‘social product’ proposing an analysis of the relationships between language and the society in which it is spoken. It introduces the theoretical principles underlying Sociolinguistics (e.g. the concepts of ‘variety’, ‘code’, ‘repertoire’, ‘bilingualism’, etc.), with examples from Italy and Europe. The fundamental object of analysis, however, is
contemporary Italian with its wide range of varieties.

Discourse analysis
The course provides the tools for examining verbal interaction in real communication contexts. The aim is to observe and describe the regularities that hide behind an apparently chaotic flow of verbal interaction. It focuses on the dynamics of conversation, the turn taking, discursive signals, dialogic repetition, and conversational ‘hitches’. The theory is complemented by listening to dialogues, which are then analysed. Students learn how to use the transcription systems of discourse analysis and to analyse spoken language texts.

The course is divided into an Italian language module (semester 1) and a contemporary Italian literature module (semester 2).
Experience shows that it is necessary to undertake in-depth study of all aspects of the Italian language, which is the mother tongue for many students and therefore their main working language.
As communication professionals, students must master and therefore explore the fundamental aspects of contemporary Italian: from spelling to morphology, from syntax to vocabulary. The aim is for students to understand, analyse and produce a wide range of written and oral texts in Italian and at the same time to be able to independently develop further knowledge and higher-level metalinguistic and communication skills.
The contemporary Italian literature module offers an overview of Italian fiction and poetry from Decadentism to the Italian resistance literature. The purpose of the course is to guide students in their study of Italian literature, which is first presented through a general overview and later through a detailed study of texts.

The Theory of Linguistic Mediation course in the first year is the first encounter with linguistic mediation. Practical lessons in translation and interpreting, however, only begin in the second semester of the first year, after the intensive work done by students in the first semester on foreign languages, linguistics and the Italian language. As in the case of the Language and Culture courses, the Translation and Interpreting classes consist of a maximum of 25 students in order to maximise the benefit of meetings that are mainly of a practical and workshop nature. Lessons also take place in computer and interpreting labs and involve the use of specialised software.

This module, which is part of the linguistics course, is intended to provide the necessary theoretical tools for adequate and subsequent practical learning of translation and interpreting techniques. The course is divided into two parts: the first is devoted to translation and the second to interpreting. Each part will provide an overview of historical developments and the main theoretical currents, with reflections on issues and problems related to the corresponding language mediation technique.

Passing this exam is a prerequisite for admission to the translation and interpreting exams.

The course is intended to provide students with translation techniques through the analysis of editorial, technical, scientific and literary texts of increasing complexity over the three years.
Students begin by translating mostly informative and descriptive-narrative texts with a simple initial structure which gradually increases in difficulty. Students become familiar with reflecting on their choices, learning to justify them objectively and specifically referring to the relevant theory. This methodological approach is tested in exams, which include, both a translation and a commentary in which students explain the main strategies they have adopted and justify their translation choices.
Students cannot be admitted to a translation exam if they have not passed the previous year’s translation exam.

The course covers the main difficulties and the basic techniques of the discipline: memorisation, sight translation, quick solutions to simple translation problems, discourse management and intercultural communication. Thanks to targeted exercises, students can experience trialogue simulations in both working and daily contexts (restaurants, hotels, tour operators, fairs). In Year 2 the course covers more technical and professional situations, with a focus on the business context (i.e. company negotiations, interviews with business and fashion experts). Italian mother-tongue lecturers share half of their teaching hours with a mother-tongue language teacher. Students cannot be admitted to Dialogue Interpreting 2 exam if they have not passed the previous year’s Interpreting 1 exam of the same language.

Conference interpreting is introduced in the second semester of the second year, after students have taken the dialogue interpreting courses, and continues as a two-semester course in the third year. Unlike dialogue interpreting, conference interpreting no longer takes place in dialogical contexts, but in monological and formal scenarios, where a speaker delivers a speech or makes a presentation in front of a large audience. Conference interpreting is an interpreting technique whereby the interpreter, after listening to a 3-5 minute long segment of speech, reproduces it in another language, usually with the help of notes. Simultaneous interpreting usually takes place in a soundproof booth, where at least two colleagues work and take turns to speak. The interpreter receives the speaker’s voice via headphones and renders the speech in another language almost simultaneously while speaking into the microphone. All lessons take place in the interpreting labs, which are equipped with booths and workstations with specialised software to simulate the work done by interpreters in the booth. Various types of oral texts are covered, such as speeches by public officials, entrepreneurs, scholars, artists and celebrities. During class, students carry out exercises that they then analyse along with the teachers.

Conference Interpreting techniques (Year 2, semester 2)
This module introduces students to a series of preparatory exercises to develop the necessary analytical and cognitive skills (active listening, memorisation, reformulation, sight translation, etc.).
Classes are focused in particular on conference interpreting. There are also preparatory exercises for simultaneous interpreting, which will be covered in Year 3. Students cannot be admitted to the Techniques of Conference Interpreting exam of a language if they have not passed the Interpreting 1 exam for the same language.

Conference and Simultaneous interpreting between Italian and A and B languages (Year 3, Semester 1 and 2)
The course includes an in-depth study of conference interpreting techniques that students have learned in the second year and an introduction to simultaneous interpreting. Conference interpreting deals with more complex and argumentative texts, strengthening memorisation, note-taking and public speaking skills. The course also covers the basics of simultaneous interpreting by focusing on all the distinguishing elements that characterise this technique: linguistic analysis, specific strategies such as reformulation, compression, anticipation, and fluency of output and voice and emotion control. In addition to classroom and at-home exercises, the course includes supplementary activities such as self-assessment, terminology research exercises, group glossaries, simulations of real conferences, etc. Students cannot be admitted to the Consecutive and Simultaneous Interpreting exams of a language if they have not passed the Interpreting 2 exam of the same language.

The general approach of the translation and interpreting courses in the third year is the same: the teaching staff have professional expertise in their subject and students develop a strong awareness of both the translation and interpreting process and of the respective professional environments, allowing them to choose their future career path.

This course teaches the skills you need to use a computer and its operating system effectively. It also develops your ability to use a word processing programme to create letters and documents, use a spreadsheet programme to produce accurate results and to understand some of the basic concepts related to the use of the Internet and e-mail.

The courses includes the analysis of the main literary movements, especially modern and contemporary ones, in their historical, social and economic framework relating to the literature of the languages of study. Teaching staff recommend the reading of various novels to encourage a a critical, diachronic analysis and linguistic comparison between past and present novels.

The courses aim to provide the basic elements for the study of the business sector of the chosen languages. They guarantee a lexical, structural and formal preparation that provides an overview of a technical register and communicative style that students can then compare to that of their own language in order to grasp similarities and differences.

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the main economic concepts pertinent to their degree programme. It explains economic equilibrium, current tax and fiscal instruments, concepts of modern marketing and current advertising and communication strategies. It also provides the necessary information on the functioning of the modern banking system and access to credit and its instruments.

The course deals with public, civil and commercial law, with a focus on companies and contracts, as well as international law, analysing the main bodies of the European Union.

Students must also supplement their education through training activities of their choice. The activities may include:

• Conferences, seminars, film forums organised within the SSML;
• Participation in seminars and conferences, relevant to the sector;
• Specialised language courses at universities and educational centres abroad;
• work experience in institutions and businesses requiring the use of foreign languages.