The adaptation & translation of comic books.
A Blended Intensive Programme exploring comics and graphic novels as hybrid literary, visual and cultural forms — combining ten weeks of online theory with an intensive in-person week in Pisa, in the heart of Italy's comics heritage.
Wednesdays 18:00–19:40
SSML Pisa, Italy
(no prior experience required)
A programme on the grammar of comics.
Comics and graphic novels are among the most constrained and multimodal of all literary genres. Meaning emerges from the interaction of text, image, panel layout, typography and cultural reference — and translating them well requires a discipline that sits at the intersection of literary translation, audiovisual studies, and semiotics.
This Blended Intensive Programme combines a solid theoretical foundation with intensive hands-on practice. Participants engage with key concepts from adaptation studies, multimodal translation and visual semiotics, working through the specific challenges of the genre: spatial constraints in speech balloons, lettering and onomatopoeia, visual metaphors, humour and wordplay, intertextuality, censorship, and audience reception.
The programme adopts a comparative perspective — examining European bandes dessinées, American comics, and Japanese manga — and addresses how narrative structure, visual grammar, reading conventions and translation norms differ across these traditions.
Why this programme.
A genre rarely taught
Comics translation is a recognised but underserved specialisation in translation studies. Few programmes in Europe address it as a stand-alone discipline with its own theoretical framework and professional practice.
Theory + hands-on practice
Ten weeks of online theory build the foundations; one intensive in-person week in Pisa applies them through workshops, guest lectures and a real translation project — culminating in a complete translated comic book.
In the heart of Italy's comics country
SSML Pisa's headquarters are in Lucca, home to Lucca Comics & Games — the largest comics festival in Europe. Industry contacts, publishers, and a living cultural ecosystem are part of the programme experience.
Programme structure.
Ten weeks of online theory
Weekly evening sessions covering the theoretical foundations: comics grammar, multimodality, adaptation theory, translation norms, text–image interaction, linguistic constraints, sound and humour, cultural references, and a comparative view of global comics traditions.
One intensive week in Pisa
Five intensive days of guest lectures, hands-on translation workshops, comparative analysis of published translations, and educational visits in Pisa and Lucca. The week culminates in a complete translated comic book project.
What you'll study.
What are comics? Understanding graphic narratives
- Definition of comics and graphic novels
- Comics as hybrid narrative systems
- Historical overview of the medium
- Introduction to multimodality and visual storytelling
The language of comics
- Comics grammar: panels, gutters, sequencing
- Framing, perspective, and visual focus
- Reader inference and closure in sequential art
- Methods for analysing comic pages
Multimodality and meaning construction
- How verbal and visual modes interact in comics
- Multimodal meaning-making in sequential narratives
- Introduction to multimodal analysis
- Case studies of multimodal storytelling
Theories of adaptation and translation
- Key concepts from adaptation studies
- Adaptation across media: text, image, and back
- Translation theory applied to multimodal texts
- Adaptation vs translation in graphic narratives
Translation norms in comics publishing
- Editorial conventions in translated comics
- Industry practices in international markets
- Translation norms and target-culture expectations
- Roles of editors, letterers, and translators
Text–image interaction
- Functional relationships: complementarity, redundancy, tension
- Semiotic analysis of comics: signs, symbols, codes
- Narrative pacing through panel layout
- Visual rhythm and reader engagement
Linguistic constraints in comics translation
- Spatial limits of speech balloons and captions
- Strategies for text condensation and prioritisation
- Integrating translated text into fixed visual layouts
- Maintaining tone, register, and character voice
Translating sound, humour, and style
- Onomatopoeia and sound symbolism across languages
- Translating humour, puns, and wordplay
- Expressive typography and stylistic lettering
- Rendering visual metaphors in translation
Cultural references and localisation
- Cultural references and idiomatic language
- Localisation strategies for different readerships
- Intertextuality and genre conventions
- Reader expectations and reception in translation
Global comics traditions and translation
- European bandes dessinées, American comics, Japanese manga
- Differences in narrative structure and page design
- Reading conventions and visual grammar across traditions
- Implications for translation across markets
The in-person week in Pisa.
The intensive week brings together everything from the online component and applies it through workshops, guest lectures and a real translation project. By Friday evening, every participant leaves with a complete translated comic book — produced collaboratively in Pisa.
SSML Pisa will provide information on accommodation options at competitive rates closer to the dates.
- Comparative case studies from European, American and Japanese comic traditions
- Hands-on translation exercises from selected comic excerpts
- Workshops on lettering, layout constraints, and multimodal translation strategies
- Collaborative analysis of published translations and the editorial decisions behind them
- A complete translated comic book project as the final outcome of the week
- Guest lectures by professionals working in the comic book industry
- Educational visits in Pisa and Lucca — comic book stores, museums, and cultural sites
The heart of comics in Italy.
While the programme takes place at SSML Pisa, the institution's headquarters are in nearby Lucca — a thirty-minute train ride away and home to the largest comics festival in Europe.
Lucca Comics & Games brings together publishers, artists, translators and over half a million visitors each autumn. SSML Pisa's links with this living ecosystem of cultural production give the programme a professional and territorial depth that few academic settings can match.
& Games each year
by attendance
Ready to apply?
Fill in the application form below to express your interest in the programme. The SSML Pisa International Office will get back to you with confirmation, Erasmus+ documentation and next steps.
