University Of Salento

Bachelor's Degree in LANGUAGE MEDIATION

Degree course in italian: SCIENZA E TECNICA DELLA MEDIAZIONE LINGUISTICA
Degree course: LANGUAGE MEDIATION
Title: Bachelor's Degree
MIUR Class: Mediazione linguistica - L-12 R (DM270)
Length: 3 years
Credits: 180
Department: HUMANITIES
Website: https://www.studiumanistici.unisalento.it/guida-alla-didattica/stml-l12
Language: ITALIAN
Location: Lecce-
Academic year: 2025/2026
Type of access/Available places: Limited access course
Career opportunities: 3.3.1.4.0 - Corrispondenti in lingue estere e professioni assimilate
3.4.1.1.0 - Tecnici delle attività ricettive e professioni assimilate

Course description
Course modules

Course description

The three-year degree course in Science and Technique of Linguistic Mediation aims to train professionals capable of operating independently in contexts where linguistic assistance is required for mediation/communication, for tourism, commercial and technical purposes.
It is divided into three curricula: Standard Curriculum, Curriculum for Albanian speakers, Double degree with the University of Vlora (Albania).
In the Standard Curriculum, the skills necessary to achieve the planned educational objectives are acquired through the study of the English language, as well as through the study of a second foreign language chosen from French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Turkish and Albanian and a further language chosen from German, Portuguese/Brazilian, Arabic and Japanese. In this curriculum, the student focuses in particular on translation (both written and oral) in the English-Italian language pair.
In the second curriculum, with an international focus and designed specifically for Albanian-speaking students, the skills needed to achieve the educational objectives are acquired through the study of the English language, the Albanian language and a further foreign language chosen from German, Portuguese/Brazilian, Arabic, Japanese and English. The student focuses in particular on translation (both written and oral) in the Albanian-English language pair. In this curriculum, Italian is the vehicular language for cross-disciplinary courses and is the specific object of study in the Italian language and Italian literature courses, also included in the Standard Curriculum.
In the double degree program with the University of Vlora, the objectives are achieved through the study of the English language, the Albanian language and a further foreign language chosen from German, Arabic and English. The student focuses in particular on translation (both written and oral) in the Albanian-English language pair. The first and third year of the course will be attended at Unisalento and the second year at the partner university.
In general, the graduate in Science and Technique of Linguistic Mediation will be trained in transversal disciplinary knowledge such as Italian literature and linguistics, semiotics and general linguistics, geography and history, fundamental knowledge that will allow the future professional to operate critically and to succeed in cultural mediation tasks without incurring errors in the interpretative evaluation of texts and contexts. Graduates also possess basic computer skills.

Admission to the Course requires a high school diploma or equivalent qualification or other qualification obtained abroad and recognized as suitable according to the requirements set by current regulations. Taking into account the specific educational objectives of the Course, a good preparation in the humanities subjects generally studied in school curricula, such as history and geography, is particularly required. Furthermore, a good preparation in the field of English and any other languages that form a language pair in specific translation courses in the degree course is required. The Course will activate preventive, selective verification procedures of the minimum requirements and any OFA must be remedied during the first year of the course, as detailed in the Admission Procedures section.

Profile

Expert in foreign languages and translation for commerce, tourism, publishing and intercultural communication

Functions

Graduates will immediately find employment in professions requiring knowledge of one or more foreign languages.
The level of knowledge and skills achieved will allow graduates to carry out professional activities in both the public and private sectors, in the following areas:
- translation of popular texts of medium difficulty, websites, newspaper articles, for example in the tourism sector;
- international relations, dealing with foreign relations and import/export relations in public and private companies and offices;
- reception staff in the tourism sector, also acting as interpreters;
- linguistic collaborators for event organization companies;
- editors of texts in foreign languages, in addition to Italian.
In these areas, the graduate deals with the translation of texts from/to a foreign language and drafting texts in Italian, English or other languages, as well as welcoming and maintaining relationships with international partners, clients or guests, in oral and written form.

Skills

The expert in foreign languages and translation carries out his/her duties thanks to the ability to reflect critically on the language, whether Italian or foreign, and on the construction of textuality, and thanks to the possession of theoretical-practical skills necessary and sufficient to independently carry out in-depth study of the languages studied and to specialize in the micro-languages required by the sector in which he/she operates. In particular, he/she is able to make autonomous linguistic choices in the translation and drafting of texts in Italian, English or other foreign languages, through analysis of the text and of the semiotic and historical-cultural context and in relation to the different textual typologies. Furthermore, the expert knows how to choose the most suitable written and oral translation strategies to apply in different contexts and knows how to use the linguistic and terminological research tools best suited to the contingent situation.

Sbocco

The expert in foreign languages and translation acts as a linguistic mediator, both in writing and orally, for public and private bodies, businesses, national and international organizations, non-profit associations and in any other context where linguistic assistance is required for mediation/communication, for tourist, commercial and technical purposes.

The three-year degree course concludes with a final written exam, an important part of the student's educational path. The exam consists of a short essay and offers the student the opportunity to individually develop a work, allowing him to make use of the knowledge acquired over the three years. The final essay will be in Italian or, given the importance of the linguistic component of the degree course, totally or partially in a foreign language.

The final exam, due to its content and methodology adopted in its drafting, contributes to the educational objectives of the Course in Science and Technique of Linguistic Mediation, aimed at training the professional figure of linguistic mediator, in a context in which linguistic assistance takes place both at a written and oral level.

The final exam will be a written essay pertaining to one of the subjects studied by the student in the course of study. The essay may be of a compilation, experimental or analytical nature, and may also be linked to the work experience of the internship, if this has had a strong connection with the course of study undertaken. In this case, the thesis will consist of an analytical commentary on the internship experience that highlights the references to the study path.

The planning, development and writing of the final thesis imply the student's ability to put into practice the analysis and research methodologies studied, as well as to critically analyze and rework a series of theoretical contents relating to the area chosen for the final exam.
The latter is therefore configured as a moment of synthesis and application of the contents studied during the three-year course.

Double Degree

Ismail Qemali University of Vlora (Albania)