OVERVIEW

This module is compulsory for students enrolled in the BA degree Languages and Cultures for Entrepreneurship and Tourism. It examines in detail the languages employed in Chinese contemporary promotional culture (advertising, branding, and marketing), with a focus on the comprehension of promotional texts, the analysis of the context of production and reception, the investigation of their cultural significance, as well as the translation/adaptation strategies outside of China.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at teaching students how to apply the linguistic skills in specific communicative situations connected, in particular, to commercial and touristic contexts, as well as to understand correctly intermediate level economic, politics and social texts, thus acquiring an instrument to deepen their knowledge of contemporary Chinese society.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

On completion of this module the students will:

1) improve their linguistic, translation and communication skills in the field of Chinese for special purposes, with specific reference to promotional and communication phenomena, such as advertising, branding and marketing;

2) be able to read, analyse and translate a variety of Chinese-language materials;

3) demonstrate knowledge and mastery of secondary sources, which are necessary for an in-depth critical analysis of the themes and contents addressed during the module (for example, cross-cultural advertising);

4) manage to contextualise the contents of the module in the specific realm of contemporary China, taking into account factors related to economy, politics and society.

PREREQUISITES

The module is conceived for third-year students who gained the linguistic skills necessary in order to understand the syllabus/contents. In order to attend this module, it is advisable that students pass beforehand the exam Chinese Language 1.

TEACHING METHODS

This is a 36-hour module running on the second semester of the academic year 2022/2023. Lectures will be delivered in the classroom, face-to-face. Beyond attending lectures, the students will be required to carry out independent study and activities (translations, online searches, watch audiovisual texts, draft of glossaries, etc.). Attendance to this module is strongly recommended.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The module is intended to address in-depth three main areas related to promotional culture in contemporary China:

- advertising;

- branding;

- marketing.

The module includes reading activities and analyses of Chinese-language texts, an examination of lexicon and structures of promotional languages, translations from Chinese into Italian (and viceversa), as well as critical explorations on translation strategies and choices.

The module contents are the same for both attending and non attending students.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chinese-language materials will be distributed before or during the classes, together with links to have access to online materials as well as additional readings (which are mandatory as well).

Among the essential mandatory readings:

Canigiani, E. 2001. “Introduzione allo studio dei marchi cinesi e delle traduzioni dei nomi dei marchi stranieri in cinese”, Mondo Cinese 106,  41-53 https://www.tuttocina.it/Mondo_cinese/106/106_Cani.htm

Eckhardt, G. M. and Bengtsson, A. (2010). ‘A Brief History of Branding in China’, Journal of Macromarketing 30(3): 210-221.

Puppin, G. 2014. ‘Advertising and China: How Does a Love/hate Relationship Work?’ In The Changing Landscape of China’s Consumerism, edited by Alison Hulme, 177–95. Oxford: Chandos/Elsevier.

Puppin, G. 2020. 'Forty Years of the Return of Advertising in China (1979-2019): A Critical Overview', Jomec (Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies) 15, 1-19, https://jomec.cardiffuniversitypress.org/articles/abstract/10.18573/jomec.201/

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GIOVANNA PUPPIN (President)

LUCA PISANO

XIAODANYANG ZHANG (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Lectures are scheduled for the first semester, starting from October 2022.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Drafting of a written essay on one of the themes/contents addressed during the module, which has to be agreed with and approved by the module convenor.

The specific guidelines related to the drafting of the essay (themes/contents, lenght, deadline and upload, etc.) will be made available on AulaWeb, on the module webpages.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The final essay aims at assessing the theoretical and methodological knowledge for a critical analysis of promotional texts in Chinese language, more specifically:

1) the students' linguistic, translation and communication skills;

2) ability to read, analyse and translate a variety of Chinese-language promotional materials;

3) the knowledge and mastery of secondary sources for an in-depth critical analysis of the themes and contents addressed during the module (in particular, semiotic analysis);

4) ability to contextualise the contents of the module in the specific realm of contemporary China, taking into account factors related to economy, politics and society, as well as the existing literature in the field.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

To the students who hold a certification of specific learning disorders, disability or other educational requirements: please send an email to Prof. Puppin at the beginning of the course, in order to discuss beforehand the best teaching and exam methods that, in alignment with the intended learning objectives, will take into account your specific needs and will provide suitable compensatory tools.