Università Roma Tre

Language mediation

This module aims to introduce students to language mediation. We will focus in particular on the many practical aspects of mediation between Italian and German (and vice versa), covering various areas, especially in oral mediation. The practice of mediation is understood here as a preparation for the techniques used in interpreting, i.e. an introduction to interpreting. Based on the neurolinguistic theory of the two neurological systems distinguished by Michel Paradis, i.e. the ‘declarative system’ and the ‘procedural system’, mediation can be said to be part of the ‘procedural system’. In order for the procedural system to function perfectly, one does not need theory but practice (because theory belongs to the declarative system). Since the declarative system and the procedural system are distinct, studying contrastive linguistics does not help the practice of mediation. That is why we will exclusively focus on deepening practical mediation skills through continuous practice in various linguistic domains and with various types of written and oral texts.

Susanne Lippert (2015) Schlangen sind in Deutschland Frauen und in Italien Männer. Was lehrt uns die Neurolinguistik über Kontrastivität und Sprachmittlung im DaF-Unterricht?, in: Nied Curcio, M., Katelhön, P., Basic, I. (ed.) Sprachmittlung – Mediation – Mediazione linguistica, p. 243 – 257