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Dr Francesca Nicora

BA., MA., MA, PhD

Contact Details

Lecturer Below The Bar
Italian
School of LLC
CASSCS
University of Galway
E: francesca.nicora@universityofgalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

Dr Francesca Nicora is a Lecturer in Italian, at the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, at the University of Galway. She is the Programme Director and Coordinator of the Diploma in Italian Online and the Coordinator of the 2BA Degree Programme in Italian. She is the Coordinator of Erasmus + Internships. She also acts as a liaison with Languages Connect in the role of HEI (Higher Education Institution) Outreach Officer (School of LLC).

Dr Francesca Nicora has been appointed as Adjunct Lecturer at the Università per Stranieri di Siena (Italy). She teaches two online courses at postgraduate level (Master ELIIAS E-learning per l'insegnamento dell'italiano a stranieri): "Metodi di progettazione del percorso di apprendimento linguistico on line" (9 hours) and "Sviluppo di attività di apprendimento on line" (9 hours).

Dr Francesca Nicora holds a BA in Foreign Languages and Literatures (curriculum Linguistics) and an MA in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics from University of Pisa (with a specialisation in Slavic languages: Bulgarian, Russian and Old Church Slavonic); an MA di secondo livello in E-Learning per l'insegnamento di italiano a stranieri from Università per Stranieri di Siena, Italy. During her studies, she spent extended periods abroad at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia, and at Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria (Slavistics - full year Erasmus). She also holds an MA in Audiovisual Translation from the Instituto Superior de Estudios Lingüísticos y Traducción (ISTRAD) and the Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA), Spain.

Dr Nicora received her Ph.D. in Italian Studies from the University of Galway, with a thesis entitled 'Prosodic training in foreign language: A study with Hiberno-English learners of Italian', which was selected as the winner of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics (IRAAL) postgraduate award in November 2019, the European Doctorate Award (University of Galway) in April 2020, and the Grant-in-Aid of Publication fund in January 2021 (Moore Institute, University of Galway). She completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at the University of Galway. 

In 2017 and 2018, as a visiting researcher at the Centro di Ricerca Interdisciplinare sul Linguaggio (CRIL- Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy), she carried out data analysis of the intonational features of La Spezia Italian and Galway Irish-English, under the supervision of Professor Barbara Gili Fivela. This research experience allowed her to gain skills in the application of methods and tools for analysing the phonology of intonation within the Autosegmental Metrical (AM) framework with reference to the Tone and Break Indices (ToBI) system.

In 2021, she was the recipient of the Japan Society for the Promotion of  Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship, with a project entitled 'Prosody and language learning in Japan: regional linguistic profiles in the spotlight'. She completed the first six months of the project at Kobe University under the supervision of Professor Ryoko Hayashi prior to joining the University of Galway. 

She has held academic appointments in Ireland, Italy, and Japan.

Her research outputs reflect the diverse, interdisciplinary nature of her work in areas ranging from speech prosody, intonational phonology, corpus linguistics, second language acquisition (SLA) and pedagogy, e-learning and e-teaching, open educational resources (OERs) for language education, language teacher education to didactic audiovisual translation (DAT) in language learning and teaching.

Dr Nicora has presented her findings and has been invited to give seminars, lectures, and oral presentations at over 42 national and international conferences/research days/summer schools around the world, including Ireland, the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Canada and Japan. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals and books, mostly as the first and sole author. Recent articles include "Unlocking the potential of audiovisual translation in young audiences' language education", The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Young Audiences (2025);  "Combining prosodic-pragmatic training and free commentary to develop intonation skills in Italian FL: the case of information-seeking polar questions" Journal of Audiovisual Translation (2024); "The corpus of Irish English speech (IES)", TEANGA, the Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics (2022); Moving online: Zoom and audiovisual translation tasks to teach foreign languages to children. Audiovisual Translation in the Foreign Language Classroom [Special Issue] (2022).

Dr Nicora has been the recipient of fellowships, grants and awards from the University of Galway, Moore Institute (University of Galway), Hardiman Library (University of Galway), Post Primary Ireland Languages (PPLI), Languages Connect, Irish Association for Applied Linguistics (IRAAL), Japan Society for the Promotion for Science (JSPS), Italian Association for Applied Linguistics (AItLA), Italian Association for Speech Science (AISV), The Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research (MIUR), the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria. 



Research Interests

Prosody with a special interest in intonation and its interaction with pragmatics (Irish English and Italian varieties)
Intonational Phonology
Transfer Phenomena and Interlanguage
Corpus Linguistics
Prosody in Second Language Acquisition
Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy
Didactic Audiovisual Translation
E-learning and e-teaching
Open Educational Resources
Language Teacher Education

Didactic Audiovisual Translation (on-going)
This research project consists of a series of experimental studies on the acquisition of Italian as a foreign language, to investigate the potential of audiovisual translation tasks (such as subtitling, free commentary and dubbing) in the foreign language classroom. It involves the design, the creation and implementation of innovative DAT-focused language courses tailored to the needs of students of different ages: young people (children) and university students (young adults and adults). The aim of this research project is twofold: (1) to demonstrate the potential of DAT tasks for the development of linguistic and intercultural competences in second language acquisition as well as of transferable skills; (2) to collect and analyse students¿ responses to the use of audiovisual translation in the acquisition of Italian as a foreign language.

Ethical approval has been obtained from the Research Ethics Committee (Univ. Galway) for this research project.

Publications:
Nicora, F. (2025). Unlocking the potential of audiovisual translation in young audiences¿ language education. In Borodo Micha¿ and Díaz-Cintas Jorge (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Young Audiences. Routledge.
Nicora, F., & Lertola, J. (2024). First insights into keyword subtitling and free commentary tasks to enhance children's second language vocabulary acquisition. In Plaza-Lara Cristina, del Mar Ogea-Pozo María, and Botella-Tejera Carla (Eds.), Empirical Studies in Didactic Audiovisual Translation. Routledge.
Nicora, F. (2024). Combining prosodic-pragmatic training and free commentary to develop intonation skills in Italian FL: the case of information-seeking polar questions. In Frumuselu Anca, & Sánchez-Requena Alicia (Eds.) Audiovisual Translation as A Didactic Tool to Enhance Foreign Language Speaking Skills. [Special Issue]. Journal of Audiovisual Translation.
Nicora, F. (2022b). Moving online: Zoom and audiovisual translation tasks to teach foreign languages to children. In Adams Heather Mary, & Díaz-Cintas Jorge (Eds.) Audiovisual Translation in the Foreign Language Classroom [Special Issue].
Beltramello, A. & Nicora, F. (2021). Captioning and revoicing activities to learn Italian as a foreign language: A didactic proposal for children. The Journal of Language and Teaching Technology, Rutgers University Press.
Nicora, F. (2021). Sottotitolaggio e apprendimento del vocabolario aziendale in italiano lingua straniera: uno studio esplorativo. Italiano a Stranieri.

2021 MISTRAL Project
Dr. Francesca Nicora is the PI of the MISTRAL project (winner of the Open Educational Resources grant and funded by Hardiman Library, University of Galway), which aims to maximise students¿ success in online language learning by creating an open book that supports them to develop appropriate strategies and skills in order to become successful online learners. MISTRAL takes its name from the cold wind which blows strongly into the northern Mediterranean sea. Similarly, this project will promote a fresh and innovative perspective on e-learning by enhancing students¿ active participation, motivation and engagement in learning foreign languages online.

Nicora, F., Bologna, O. (2025; in preparation). MISTRAL: an interactive guide for learning languages online. Pressbook, Hardiman Library, University of Galway, Ireland.

2021 MARIN Project
Lead/Author for the MARIN project:
The MARIN - Maximising teachers¿ success in teaching foreign languages online - initiative comes from the lack of specific training in online language teaching and it proposes the creation of an open book designed to assist teacher trainers and language teachers in the transition from face-to-face teaching environments to e-teaching environments. MARIN aims at maximising teachers¿ success in teaching foreign languages online. More specifically, it will help teacher trainers cope with new digital challenges and train language teachers to respond to the rapidly changing e-learning environment. MARIN takes its name from the warm and humid wind which blows gently onshore from the Mediterranean sea creating fine and pleasant weather. Similarly, this project will foster teachers¿ psychophysical well-being by providing them with all the necessary tools and skills to build up their e-teaching confidence and create a warm and pleasant e-learning environment.

Nicora, F., Bologna, O. (2025; in preparation). MARIN: an interactive guide for teaching languages online. Pressbook, Hardiman Library, University of Galway, Ireland.

2019-2021 LILAC Project
PI: Professor Laura Incalcaterra McLoughlin
Research Assistants: Dr. Francesca Nicora, Oriana Bologna
funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning

The T&L initiative relates to the teaching of languages online. It proposes the creation of Open Educational Resources designed to assist teacher trainers, language teachers and students in the transition from the traditional face-to-face to the online environment (https://www.lilac-project.com/) Aims to:
  • Train language teachers and trainers to transform new digital challenges into opportunities and provide a model for structuring, delivering and assessing e-learning language courses.
  • Provide language students with the digital proficiency necessary to participate in and maximise the benefits of eLearning.
  • Create and offer an online module to train teachers to teach online and to introduce students to online language learning.
Dr. Nicora was responsible for content creation, web design, data analysis and dissemination activities. https://opencourses.ie/opencourse/lilac-online-language-learning-and-teaching/

Publications:
Nicora, F., Bologna, O., & McLoughlin, L. (2022). Open educational resources for online language teacher training: conceptual framework and practical implementation. International Journal on Integrating Technology in Education.
Nicora, F., Bologna, O., McLoughlin, L. (2022). Higher Education and new trends in the digitalized labour market: broaden language students¿ horizons. In E. Domínguez Romero, J. Bobkina, C. Herrero, S. Stefanova Radoulska, & I. Vanderschelden (Eds.). Visual Literacy and Digital Communication: The Role Of Media in New Educational Practices. Editorial Comares, Granada, Spain.


2020-2021 Tra-balliamo Project: Italian for Secondary Schools
PI/Coordinator: Prof Laura Incalcaterra McLoughlin
Researchers and teachers: Michela Dianetti, Dr. Francesca Nicora
funded by the Department of Education - Post-Primary Language Initiative (PPLI)
This project aims to embed language into performing arts experiences thus encouraging TY students to expand their imagination, find joy in self-expression and promote psychological wellbeing. (https://traballiamo.wordpress.com/).

Publications:
Dianetti, M. & Nicora, F. (2021). Didattica performativa nella promozione della lingua e cultura italiana in Irlanda. Il corpo e la danza come strumenti di apprendimento e ponti tra culture. Italiano LinguaDue.


PhD Project 
Prosodic training in foreign language. A study with Hiberno-English learners of Italian
funded by the College of Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies (University of Galway)

  • Design, administration and analysis of explicit prosodic training, including pre-, post- and delayed tests, and questionnaires.
  • Conduct data collection and data analysis on Galway/East Donegal/West Cork Irish-English varieties and La Spezia Italian variety.
  • Develop speech corpora: learners' speech corpus of foreign language (FL) Italian; the Irish English Speech (IES) corpus; the Italian speech corpus (STRINA).
Publications:
Nicora, F. (accepted-in preparation). Prosody and language learning: a study on Irish English learners of Italian. [working title]. Officinaventuno SAS, Milano, Italy.
Nicora, F., Naito, Y., & Meluzzi, C. (submitted). Variability of the MOUTH diphthong in three Irish English varieties (East Donegal, Galway, West Cork).
Gili Fivela, B., Avesani, C., & Nicora, F. (submitted). Variation and contact in Italian intonation across the La Spezia-Rimini line. In Celata Chiara (Ed.) Speech Variation in Contemporary Italian [Special Issue], Languages. 
Nicora, F. (2022a). The corpus of Irish English speech (IES). TEANGA, the Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics.
Meluzzi, C., Nicora, F., Sbacco, L. (2022). Learning Italian phonetics: dental affricates' production by Irish English speakers. 12th Annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference.
Nicora F., Cenceschi S., Meluzzi C. (2020). A phonetic comparison of two Irish English varieties. The 11th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics, Athens, Greece.
Nicora, F., McLoughlin L., Gili Fivela, B. (2019). La resistenza dei tratti intonativi nell¿acquisizione dell¿italiano da parte di parlanti anglo celti. In Nuzzo E., & Vedder I. (a cura di), Studi AItLA 9. Lingua in Contesto. La prospettiva pragmatica. Officinaventuno, Milano.
Gili Fivela, B. & Nicora, F. (2018). Intonation in Liguria and Tuscany: checking for similarities across a traditional isogloss boundary. In Vietti, A., Spreafico, L., Mereu, D., & Galatà , V. (Eds.) Studi AISV 4: Il Parlato nel Contesto Naturale. Officinaventuno, Milano.
Nicora F., McLoughlin L., Gili Fivela B. (2018). Impact of prosodic training on Italian as L2 by Hiberno-English speakers: the case of polar questions. The 9th International Conference in Speech Prosody, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.

Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
the MISTRAL project 30-MAY-21 30-SEP-22
Tra-balliamo - Italian for secondary schools 01-JAN-20 01-JAN-21
LILAC Project https://www.lilac-project.com/ 01-DEC-19 31-MAY-21

Dictionary Entry

  Year Publication
(2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): TRADUZIONE AUDIOVISIVA.
Nicora, F; Incalcaterra McLoughlin, L (2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): TRADUZIONE AUDIOVISIVA. Pisa: Collana Studi di Linguistica educativa dir. da Massimo Vedovelli, Pacini Editore Dictionary Entry [Details]
(2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): AUDIODESCRIZIONE.
Nicora, F (2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): AUDIODESCRIZIONE. Pisa: Collana Studi di Linguistica educativa dir. da Massimo Vedovelli, Pacini Editore Dictionary Entry [Details]
(2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): DOPPIAGGIO.
Motta, D; Nicora, F (2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): DOPPIAGGIO. Pisa: Collana Studi di Linguistica educativa dir. da Massimo Vedovelli, Pacini Editore Dictionary Entry [Details]
(2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): RISORSA DI RETE.
Nicora, F (2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): RISORSA DI RETE. Pisa: Collana Studi di Linguistica educativa dir. da Massimo Vedovelli, Pacini Editore Dictionary Entry [Details]
(2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): REPOSITORY.
Nicora, F (2025) Dizionario dell italiano L2: insegnamento, apprendimento, ricerca (a cura di Enrico Serena): REPOSITORY. Pisa: Collana Studi di Linguistica educativa dir. da Massimo Vedovelli Dictionary Entry [Details]

Books

  Year Publication
(2025) Prosody training in foreign language: a study on Irish English learners of Italian (working title)[in preparation].
Nicora, F (2025) Prosody training in foreign language: a study on Irish English learners of Italian (working title)[in preparation]. Milano, Italy: Collana STUDI AISV Officinaventuno SAS. [Details]

Electronic Book

  Year Publication
(2024) Interactive guide to Aegisub software.
Nicora, F; Aidan O'Callaghan (2024) Interactive guide to Aegisub software. Electronic Book [Details]
(2025) MISTRAL: an interactive guide for learning languages online.
Nicora, F; Bologna, O; (2025) MISTRAL: an interactive guide for learning languages online. Galway, Ireland: Pressbook, Hardiman Library, University of Galway Electronic Book [Details]
(2025) MARIN: an interactive guide for teaching languages online.
Nicora, F; Bologna, O (2025) MARIN: an interactive guide for teaching languages online. Galway, Ireland: Pressbook, Hardiman Library, University of Galway Electronic Book [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2025) 'Unlocking the potential of audiovisual translation in young audiences¿ language education'
Nicora, F (2025) 'Unlocking the potential of audiovisual translation in young audiences¿ language education' In: The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Young Audiences. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2024) 'First insights into keyword subtitling and free commentary tasks to enhance children's second language vocabulary acquisition'
Nicora, F; Lertola, J (2024) 'First insights into keyword subtitling and free commentary tasks to enhance children's second language vocabulary acquisition' In: Empirical Studies in Didactic Audiovisual Translation. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2022) 'Higher Education and new trends in the digitalized labour market: broaden language students¿ horizons'
Nicora, F; Bologna, O; McLoughlin, L. (2022) 'Higher Education and new trends in the digitalized labour market: broaden language students¿ horizons' In: Visual Literacy and Digital Communication: The Role Of Media in New Educational Practices. :79-100 Granada, Spain: Editorial Comares. [Details]
(2019) 'La resistenza dei tratti intonativi nell’acquisizione dell’italiano da parte di parlanti anglo celti'
Nicora, F; McLoughlin, L; Gili Fivela, B (2019) 'La resistenza dei tratti intonativi nell’acquisizione dell’italiano da parte di parlanti anglo celti' In: Lingua in Contesto. La prospettiva pragmatica. Milano, Italy: Studi AItLA 9, Officinaventuno. [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2018) 'Intonation in Liguria and Tuscany: checking for similarities across a traditional isogloss boundary'
Gili Fivela, B; Nicora, F (2018) 'Intonation in Liguria and Tuscany: checking for similarities across a traditional isogloss boundary' In: Il Parlato nel Contesto Naturale. Speech in the natural Context, Methods for the analysis of Speech Under Real Communicative Conditions. Milano, Italy: Studi AISV 4, Officinaventuno. [ARAN Link] [Details]

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2025) 'Variability of the Mouth Diphthong in Three Irish English Varieties (East Donegal, Galway, West Cork) (submitted)'
Nicora, F; Naito, Y; Meluzzi, C (2025) 'Variability of the Mouth Diphthong in Three Irish English Varieties (East Donegal, Galway, West Cork) (submitted)'. Alicante Journal of English Studies, [Details]
(2024) 'Combining prosodic-pragmatic training and free commentary to develop intonation skills in Italian FL: the case of information-seeking polar questions. In Frumuselu Anca, & Sánchez-Requena Alicia (Eds.) Audiovisual Translation as A Didactic Tool to Enhance Foreign Language Speaking Skills [Special Issue]'
Nicora, F (2024) 'Combining prosodic-pragmatic training and free commentary to develop intonation skills in Italian FL: the case of information-seeking polar questions. In Frumuselu Anca, & Sánchez-Requena Alicia (Eds.) Audiovisual Translation as A Didactic Tool to Enhance Foreign Language Speaking Skills [Special Issue]'. Journal of Audiovisual Translation, 7 (1):1-24 [Details]
(2022) 'The Corpus of Irish English Speech'
Nicora, F (2022) 'The Corpus of Irish English Speech'. Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics, 29 :133-168 [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2022) 'Open educational resources for online language teacher training: conceptual framework and practical implementation'
Nicora, F; Bologna, O; McLoughlin, L. (2022) 'Open educational resources for online language teacher training: conceptual framework and practical implementation'. International Journal on Integrating Technology in Education (IJIte), :1-18 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2022) 'Moving online: Zoom and audiovisual translation tasks to teach foreign languages to children. In Adams Heather Mary, & Díaz-Cintas Jorge (Eds.) Audiovisual Translation in the Foreign Language Classroom [Special Issue]'
Nicora, F (2022) 'Moving online: Zoom and audiovisual translation tasks to teach foreign languages to children. In Adams Heather Mary, & Díaz-Cintas Jorge (Eds.) Audiovisual Translation in the Foreign Language Classroom [Special Issue]'. Revista de Lenguas para Fines Específicos, 28 (2):80-100 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2021) 'Captioning and revoicing activities to learn Italian as a foreign language: A didactic proposal for children'
Nicora, F; Beltramello, A (2021) 'Captioning and revoicing activities to learn Italian as a foreign language: A didactic proposal for children'. The Journal of Language and Teaching Technology, (III):1-23 [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2021) 'Didattica performativa nella promozione della lingua e cultura italiana in Irlanda. Il corpo e la danza come strumenti di apprendimento e ponti tra culture'
Dianetti, M; Nicora, F (2021) 'Didattica performativa nella promozione della lingua e cultura italiana in Irlanda. Il corpo e la danza come strumenti di apprendimento e ponti tra culture'. Italiano LinguaDue, 13 (2):665-680 [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2021) 'Sottotitolaggio e apprendimento del vocabolario aziendale in italiano lingua straniera: uno studio esplorativo'
Nicora, F (2021) 'Sottotitolaggio e apprendimento del vocabolario aziendale in italiano lingua straniera: uno studio esplorativo'. Italiano a stranieri, N.29 :22-27 [ARAN Link] [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
(2022) 12th Annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference
Meluzzi, C; Nicora, F; Sbacco, L (2022) Learning Italian phonetics: dental affricates' production by Irish English speakers 12th Annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference [Details]
(2020) 11th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics
Nicora, F; Cenceschi, S; Meluzzi, C (2020) A phonetic comparison of two Irish English varieties 11th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics Athens, Greece, , pp.143-146 [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2018) Challenge and new prospects on prosody. The 9th International Conference on Speech Prosody
Nicora, F; McLoughlin, L; Gili Fivela, B (2018) Impact of prosodic training on Italian as L2 by Hiberno-English speakers: the case of polar questions Challenge and new prospects on prosody. The 9th International Conference on Speech Prosody Poznán, Poland, , pp.970-974 [ARAN Link] [Details]

Conference Contributions

  Year Publication
(2024) VII Congreso Internacional Ciencia y Traducción,
Nicora, F (2024) Didactic Audiovisual Translation and Creativity. [Oral Presentation], VII Congreso Internacional Ciencia y Traducción, Universidad de Córdoba/Università del Salento , 22-MAY-24 - 24-MAY-24. [Details]
(2024) Languages Connect Annual Meeting,
Zafferri, S; Curreli, F; Nicora, F (2024) Summer Camp in Italian (1st edition). [Invited Oral Presentation], Languages Connect Annual Meeting, Digital Hub Dublin 8 , 11-APR-24 - 11-APR-24. [Details]
(2024) Congreso Internacional de Paratraducción, Interlinguas y Transmedia (ParatradIT),
Nicora, F (2024) Combining explicit perception-production training and creative audiovisual translation tasks to develop prosodic competence in Italian as a foreign language. [Oral Presentation], Congreso Internacional de Paratraducción, Interlinguas y Transmedia (ParatradIT), University of Vigo, Spain , 20-MAR-24 - 22-MAR-24. [Details]
(2024) the 4th annual conference of the Translation Studies Network of Ireland: 'Translation and creativity',
Nicora, F; Zafferri, S (2024) Creative subtitling in the Italian language classroom: an analysis of undergraduate students' perceptions on the challenges and benefits in the learning progress. [Poster Presentation], the 4th annual conference of the Translation Studies Network of Ireland: 'Translation and creativity', University of Galway, Ireland , 25-APR-24 - 26-APR-24. [Details]
(2023) Teaching and Learning Day, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Galway,
Nicora, F (2023) Didactic Audiovisual Translation for Children: A New Gateway to a Better Language Education. [Oral Presentation], Teaching and Learning Day, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Galway, University of Galway, Ireland , 13-OCT-23 - 13-OCT-23. [Details]
(2023) Teaching and Learning Day, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Galway,
Nicora, F (2023) Learning of FL prosody and efficacy of explicit perception-production training: An experiment on Italian FL by Hiberno-English speakers. [Oral Presentation], Teaching and Learning Day, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Galway, University of Galway, Ireland , 13-OCT-23 - 13-OCT-23. [Details]
(2023) SLLC Research Day Mel Boland In Memoriam,
Nicora, F (2023) Session 4: Linguistics and Translation. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], SLLC Research Day Mel Boland In Memoriam, Room GO10, Hardiman Research Building, University of Galway, Ireland , 19-APR-23 - 19-APR-23. [Details]
(2023) 9th International Conference on Experimental Phonetics (CIFE),
Meluzzi, C; Nicora, F (2023) Acoustic cues of Italian dental affricates as produced by LS learners. [Oral Presentation], 9th International Conference on Experimental Phonetics (CIFE), University of Vigo, Spain , 21-JUN-23 - 23-JUN-23. [Details]
(2023) TRADIT23 -1st International Conference on Didactic Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility,
Nicora, F (2023) Didactic AVT and Foreign Language Vocabulary Acquisition: An experimental Study on Children's Learners of Italian. [Oral Presentation], TRADIT23 -1st International Conference on Didactic Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility, Madrid, Spain , 23-MAR-23 - 24-MAR-23. [Details]
(2022) 11th International Conference on Language Variation in Europe (ICLAVE),
Nicora, F; Meluzzi, C (2022) Sociolinguistic variation of the MOUTH diphthong in two Irish English varieties. [Poster Presentation], 11th International Conference on Language Variation in Europe (ICLAVE), University of Vienna, Austria , 12-APR-22 - 14-APR-22. [Details]
(2021) Applying Linguistics in the 21st Century. The 2021 IRAAL Annual Conference,
Nicora, F (2021) The corpus of Irish English Speech (IES). [Poster Presentation], Applying Linguistics in the 21st Century. The 2021 IRAAL Annual Conference, University College, Dublin, Dublin, Ireland , 26-NOV-21 - 27-NOV-21. [Details]
(2021) Applying Linguistics in the 21st Century. The 2021 IRAAL Annual Conference,
Bologna, O; McLoughlin, L; Nicora, F (2021) The Lilac project: helping language teachers and learners to master online environments. [Poster Presentation], Applying Linguistics in the 21st Century. The 2021 IRAAL Annual Conference, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland , 26-NOV-21 - 27-NOV-21. [Details]
(2021) Audiovisual Translation and Computer-Mediated Communication: Fostering Access to Digital Mediascapes,
McLoughlin, L; Nicora, F; Nocchi, S (2021) Audiovisual Translation (IN)success stories. What an informed analysis of AVT task issues can teach us. [Invited Oral Presentation], Audiovisual Translation and Computer-Mediated Communication: Fostering Access to Digital Mediascapes, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy , 07-OCT-21 - 08-OCT-21. [Details]
(2021) Teaching and Learning Initiatives,
Bologna, O; Nicora, F; McLoughlin, L (2021) Training the teachers, engaging the learners: the Lilac project. [Oral Presentation], Teaching and Learning Initiatives, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, NUI, Galway , 06-JUL-21 - 06-JUL-21. [Details]
(2021) Teaching and Learning Initiatives,
Dianetti, M; Nicora, F; McLoughlin, L (2021) Performative Arts in the promotion of Italian language and culture in Galway city: the TRA-Balliamo project. [Oral Presentation], Teaching and Learning Initiatives, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, NUI, Galway , 06-JUL-21 - 06-JUL-21. [Details]
(2021) Teaching and Learning Initiatives,
Nicora, F; Bologna, O; McLoughlin, L (2021) The MISTRAL project: new perspectives on language and education. [Oral Presentation], Teaching and Learning Initiatives, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, NUI, Galway , 06-JUL-21 - 06-JUL-21. [Details]
(2021) The Canadian Association for Italian Studies. Annual Conference,
McLoughlin, L; Nicora, F (2021) Insegnare lingue online: sfide pratiche, risvolti teorici e necessità formative. [Oral Presentation], The Canadian Association for Italian Studies. Annual Conference, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada (Online) , 04-JUN-21 - 05-JUN-21. [Details]
(2021) 12th Annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference,
Meluzzi, C; Nicora, F (2021) Production of Italian dental affricates by Irish English learners. [Poster Presentation], 12th Annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, Brock University, Ontario, Canada , 18-JUN-21 - 19-JUN-21. [Details]
(2021) EdTech 2021 Shaping Education Post Pandemic: Pockets of Innovation for ‘Building Back Better’,
Nicora, F; Bologna, O; McLoughlin, L (2021) Open Educational Resources (OERs) for online language teacher training: conceptual framework and practical implementation. [Oral Presentation], EdTech 2021 Shaping Education Post Pandemic: Pockets of Innovation for ‘Building Back Better’, Online , 27-MAY-21 - 28-MAY-21. [Details]
(2020) International Conference on visual literacy and digital communication: the role of media in new educational practice VILDIC 20,
Nicora, F (2020) Moving online: using Zoom and audiovisual translation activities to e-teach Italian foreign language to children. [Oral Presentation], International Conference on visual literacy and digital communication: the role of media in new educational practice VILDIC 20, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain , 18-DEC-20 - 19-DEC-20. [Details]
(2020) International Conference on visual literacy and digital communication: the role of media in new educational practice VILDIC 20,
Nicora, F; Bologna, O; McLoughlin, L (2020) The LILAC project: enhancing students career planning skills through an interactive online module, virtual training and new assessment models. [Oral Presentation], International Conference on visual literacy and digital communication: the role of media in new educational practice VILDIC 20, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain , 18-DEC-20 - 19-DEC-20. [Details]
(2020) 5th International techLING Congress - Languages, Linguistics and Technology,
Nicora, F; Bologna, O; McLoughlin, L (2020) The LILAC project: Open Educational Resources to train language teachers in online teaching and assessments. [Oral Presentation], 5th International techLING Congress - Languages, Linguistics and Technology, University of Aveiro, Portugal , 15-OCT-20 - 16-OCT-20. [Details]
(2020) 11th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics,
Nicora, F; Cenceschi, S; Meluzzi, C (2020) A phonetic comparison of two Irish English varieties. [Oral Presentation], 11th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics, Athens, Greece , 12-OCT-20 - 14-OCT-20. [Details]
(2019) Threatening Languages in a Global World, IRAAL Annual Conference,
Nicora, F (2019) ‘Prosodic training in L2: a study with Hiberno-English learners of Italian’. [Oral Presentation], Threatening Languages in a Global World, IRAAL Annual Conference, National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) , 30-NOV-19. [Details]
(2019) Crossing Boundaries in Language Teaching: Northern Ireland and Beyond LTNI19 Conference,
Nicora, F (2019) 'Designing a subtitling module for students of Italian for specific purposes’. [Oral Presentation], Crossing Boundaries in Language Teaching: Northern Ireland and Beyond LTNI19 Conference, Queen's University, Belfast, United Kingdom (UK) , 03-MAY-19 - 04-MAY-19. [Details]
(2018) Workshop on Accommodation in Speech Communication,
Nicora, F; Gili Fivela, B (2018) ‘Prosodic convergence toward the native model: the effect of explicit prosodic training in L2-Italian’. [Poster Presentation], Workshop on Accommodation in Speech Communication, Zürich, Switzerland , 13-DEC-18. [Details]
(2018) 3rd International techLING Congress - Languages, Linguistics and Technology,
Nicora, F; Beltramello, A (2018) ‘Captioning and re-voicing activities to learn Italian as a foreign language. A didactic proposal for children’. [Oral Presentation], 3rd International techLING Congress - Languages, Linguistics and Technology, Universidade Autonoma de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal , 02-OCT-18 - 04-OCT-18. [Details]
(2018) Le tendenze dell’italiano contemporaneo rivisitate, LII Congresso SLI 2018 (Società di linguistica italiana),
Gili Fivela, B; Nicora, F; Avesani, C (2018) ‘La Lunigiana tra Liguria e Toscana: quale situazione linguistica ci offre l’analisi delle caratteristiche intonative?’. [Oral Presentation], Le tendenze dell’italiano contemporaneo rivisitate, LII Congresso SLI 2018 (Società di linguistica italiana), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland , 06-SEP-18 - 08-SEP-18. [Details]
(2018) Challenge and new prospects on prosody. The 9th International Conference in Speech Prosody,
Nicora, F; McLoughlin, L; Gili Fivela, B (2018) ‘Impact of prosodic training on Italian as L2 by Hiberno-English speakers: the case of polar questions’. [Poster Presentation (Refereed)], Challenge and new prospects on prosody. The 9th International Conference in Speech Prosody, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland , 13-JUN-18 - 16-JUN-18. [Details]
(2018) Language in Context: The Pragmatic Perspective. XVIII International Conference of the Italian Association of Applied Linguistics,
Nicora, F; McLoughlin, L; Gili Fivela, B (2018) ‘La resistenza dei tratti intonativi nell’acquisizione dell’italiano da parte di parlanti anglo celti’. [Oral Presentation], Language in Context: The Pragmatic Perspective. XVIII International Conference of the Italian Association of Applied Linguistics, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy , 22-FEB-18 - 24-FEB-18. [Details]
(2018) Speech in the natural Context, Methods for the analysis of Speech Under Real Communicative Conditions. XIV AISV Conference,
Nicora, F; Gili Fivela, B (2018) 'Intonation in Liguria and Tuscany: checking for similarities across a traditional isogloss boundary’. [Oral Presentation], Speech in the natural Context, Methods for the analysis of Speech Under Real Communicative Conditions. XIV AISV Conference, The Free University of Bozen/Bolzano, Italy , 25-JAN-18 - 27-JAN-18. [Details]

Guest Lectures

  Year Publication
(2021) The Mistral project: Open Educational Resources for language learning made by students for students.
Nicora, F; Bologna, O (2021) The Mistral project: Open Educational Resources for language learning made by students for students. NUIG Library: Guest Lectures [Details]
(2021) I vantaggi dei testi multimediali: la traduzione audiovisiva nelle classi di lingua; Settimana delle Lingue, ANILS.
McLoughlin, L; Nicora, F (2021) I vantaggi dei testi multimediali: la traduzione audiovisiva nelle classi di lingua; Settimana delle Lingue, ANILS. Guest Lectures [Details]
(2020) Prosody and Didactic Practices: The role of the contrastive phonological analysis of two languages varieties (L1 and FL) for pedagogical purposes.
Nicora, F (2020) Prosody and Didactic Practices: The role of the contrastive phonological analysis of two languages varieties (L1 and FL) for pedagogical purposes. Università degli Studi di Pavia, Italy: Guest Lectures [Details]
(2016) Le politiche linguistiche in epoca fascista.
Nicora, F (2016) Le politiche linguistiche in epoca fascista. Guest Lectures [Details]

Invited Seminars

  Year Publication
(2022) Acquisizione della prosodia delle lingue straniere.
Nicora, F (2022) Acquisizione della prosodia delle lingue straniere. Università degli studi di Milano, Italy: Invited Seminars [Details]
(2022) Contrastive phonological analysis and language learning: exploring polar questions in Irish English and Italian varieties.
Nicora, F (2022) Contrastive phonological analysis and language learning: exploring polar questions in Irish English and Italian varieties. Graduate School of International Studies, Kobe University, Japan: Invited Seminars [Details]
(2022) Audiovisual activities for children: new insights into language learning.
Nicora, F (2022) Audiovisual activities for children: new insights into language learning. Summer School in Speech Prosody, The Japan Foundation Kansai Center, Osaka, Japan: Invited Seminars [Details]
(2022) Prosody and language learning: the case of Irish English learners of Italian.
Nicora, F (2022) Prosody and language learning: the case of Irish English learners of Italian. Graduate School of International Studies, Kobe University, Japan: Invited Seminars [Details]
(2021) Prosody and Language Acquisition.
Nicora, F (2021) Prosody and Language Acquisition. The Centre for Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism (CALM), NUI, Galway: Invited Seminars [Details]
(2020) The effectiveness of explicit prosodic training in Italian as a foreign language.
Nicora, F (2020) The effectiveness of explicit prosodic training in Italian as a foreign language. Universitat de Barcelona, Grup d'Estudis de Pròsodia: Invited Seminars [Details]
(2020) Using Open Educational Resources (OER) to enhance foreign language learning and teaching in an online environment.
Nicora, F; Bologna, O (2020) Using Open Educational Resources (OER) to enhance foreign language learning and teaching in an online environment. National University of Ireland, Galway: Invited Seminars [Details]
(2020) Virtual seminar: An interactive introduction to language learning.
Nicora, F; Bologna, O (2020) Virtual seminar: An interactive introduction to language learning. National University of Ireland, Galway: Invited Seminars [Details]

Workshops

  Year Publication
(2020) Workshop for Children: using Aegisub to subtitle Italian cartoons.
Nicora, F (2020) Workshop for Children: using Aegisub to subtitle Italian cartoons. Workshops [Details]
(2020) Workshop for undergraduate and postgraduate students: use H5P to design and create interactive language activities.
Nicora, F; Bologna, O (2020) Workshop for undergraduate and postgraduate students: use H5P to design and create interactive language activities. Workshops [Details]
(2018) Workshop for Children: Learning Italian as Foreign Language with ClipFlair Studio.
Nicora, F (2018) Workshop for Children: Learning Italian as Foreign Language with ClipFlair Studio. Workshops [Details]
(2017) ClipFlair. Foreign Language Learning through Interactive Revoicing and Captioning Activities.
Nicora, F (2017) ClipFlair. Foreign Language Learning through Interactive Revoicing and Captioning Activities. Workshops [Details]
(2016) Using PRAAT to Improve Foreign Language Intonation.
Nicora, F (2016) Using PRAAT to Improve Foreign Language Intonation. Workshops [Details]

Web Page

  Year Publication
(2021) The LILAC website.
Nicora, F; Bologna, O; McLoughlin, L (2021) The LILAC website. Web Page [Details]
(2020) Tra-balliamo - Italian for secondary schools.
Dianetti, M; Nicora, F; McLoughlin, L (2020) Tra-balliamo - Italian for secondary schools. Web Page [Details]

Database

  Year Publication
(2021) The IES (Irish English Speech) corpus.
Nicora, F (2021) The IES (Irish English Speech) corpus. Database [Details]
(2019) STRINA - Corpus of Italian spoken in La Spezia.
Nicora, F (2019) STRINA - Corpus of Italian spoken in La Spezia. Database [Details]
(2018) PIC - Prosodic Italian Corpus of Irish English learners.
Nicora, F (2018) PIC - Prosodic Italian Corpus of Irish English learners. Database [Details]

Translation

  Year Publication
(2008) Il 'Don Giovanni' di Georgi Gospodinov, traduzione e commento.
Nicora, F (2008) Il 'Don Giovanni' di Georgi Gospodinov, traduzione e commento. Università degli studi di Pisa, Italy: Translation [Details]

Thesis

  Year Publication
(2019) Prosodic training in foreign language: a study with Hiberno-English learners of Italian.
Nicora, F (2019) Prosodic training in foreign language: a study with Hiberno-English learners of Italian. NUI, Galway: Thesis [Details]
(2014) Online learning: dal web al mobile.
Nicora, F (2014) Online learning: dal web al mobile. Università per stranieri di Siena, Italy: Thesis [Details]
(2012) Cenni sulla storia dell'ortografia bulgara.
Nicora, F (2012) Cenni sulla storia dell'ortografia bulgara. Università degli studi di Pisa, Italy: Thesis [Details]
(2008) Il 'Don Giovanni' di Georgi Gospodinov, traduzione e commento.
Nicora, F (2008) Il 'Don Giovanni' di Georgi Gospodinov, traduzione e commento. Università degli studi di Pisa, Italy: Thesis [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2024 Learning Italian with Geronimo Stilton Istituto di Cultura Italiana Dublino
2024 President's Awards for Teaching Excellence [Nominated] University of Galway
2024 HEI Funding PPLI - Languages Connect
2024 Italian Summer Camp 2nd edition Languages Connect
2023 HEI Funding PPLI - Languages Connect
2023 Italian Summer Camp 1st edition Languages Connect
2022 Research Support Allowance Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
2022 Best Poster Award The 11th International Conference on Language Variation in Europe (ICLaVE), Best Poster Award, 2nd place, "Sociolinguistic variation of the MOUTH dyphthong in two Irish English varieties"
2021 PostDoc Fellowship at Kobe University (Japan) Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
2021 Grant-in-Aid for Publication Fund Moore Institute, University of Galway
2020 Open Educational Resources Fund Hardiman Library, University of Galway
2020 European Doctorate Award NUI Galway
2019 IRAAL Postgraduate Award IRAAL (Irish Association for Applied Linguistics)
2019 “Learning Italian as a foreign language by captioning and revoicing cartoons” project- shortlisted for the European Language Label Award Leargas
2019 Write-Up Bursary NUI Galway
2018 'Andrea Paoloni' Grant AISV (Associazione Italiana Scienze per la Voce)
2018 AItLA Grant AItLA (Associazione Italiana di Linguistica Applicata)
2017 Research Travel Bursaries NUI Galway
2016 'Andrea Paoloni' Grant AISV (Associazione Italiana Scienze per la Voce)
2016 Research Travel Bursaries NUI Galway
2015 Research Travel Bursaries NUI Galway
2014 Galway Doctoral Research Fellowship NUI Galway
2011 Erasmus Programme Grant The Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research (MIUR)
2010 Financial Grant for the Summer Seminar on Bulgarian language and culture The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Association of Italian Teachers of Ireland (ATI) Member 07-JAN-24 / 31-DEC-24
IrEN - Irish English Network member 02-JAN-23 /
IRAAL - Irish Association for Applied Linguistics Member /
Canadian Association for Italian Studies Member 05-JAN-20 / 04-JAN-21
CALM - Centre for Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism Member /
ESIST - European Association for Studies in Screen Translation member /
AISV - Associazione Italiana Scienze per la Voce Member /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
CREATEDAT- Creative DAT in an online context (Research Group, UNED, Spain) led by Dr Jennifer Lertola Colaborador 03-NOV-24 /
Italian Studies discipline meeting member 02-SEP-19 /
Teaching and Learning Committee School of Languages Literatures and Cultures Representative for Italian 01-MAR-23 /
Standing committee for the implementation of the Extenuating Circumstances policy Representative for the School of LLC 02-JAN-23 /

Reviews

  Journal Role
Lingue e Linguaggi Reviewer
Italiano a stranieri Reviewer
Estudios de Fonética Experimental (Journal of Experimental Phonetics) Reviewer
Quaderns d'Italià Reviewer

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2024 Instituto Superior de Estudios Lingüísticos y Traducción & Universidad a Distancia de Madrid, Spain Master's Degree Audiovisual Translation
2022 UNED Abierta, Madrid, Spain Professional Development Course 'La traducción audiovisual y el aprendizaje de lenguas'
2021 Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, Italy Giornata di Studio La traduzione audiovisiva per apprendere le lingue
2021 Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), University of Galway, Ireland Postgraduate Certification in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
2021 Center of Advanced Studies in Humanities, CeASUm, University of Trento, Italy Secondo Corso di Alta Specializzazione di Fonologia Secondo Corso di Alta Specializzazione di Fonologia
2021 Federal University of Minas Gerais, Public university in Belo Horizonte, Brazil Professional Development Course on Prosody, Variation and Contact, Luso-Brazilian Association of Speech Sciences
2019 Università Telematica Pegaso, Naples, Italy 24ECTS - anthropology, psychology, pedagogy pedagogy and teaching methodology and technology. Education program for teachers - Italian as a second language in secondary schools in Italy
2019 University of Galway, Ireland Structured-Phd in Italian Studies [VIVA-December 2019; Virtual Conferring-April 2020] Prosodic training in foreign language: a study with Hiberno-English learners of Italian
2017 Centro di Ricerca Interdisciplinare sul Linguaggio (CRIL), Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy Visiting Researcher under the Supervision of Prof. Barbara Gili Fivela •Phonology of Intonation, Tone and Break Indices (ToBI); Introduction to statistics • Data analysis: PRAAT
2016 Aix-Marseille University, Aix-Marseille, France Summer School Aix Summer School on Prosody. Methods in Prosody and Intonation Research: Data, Theories and Transcription
2014 Università per Stranieri di Siena, Italy Master's Degree, First-class honours E-Learning per l'insegnamento di italiano a stranieri (Master di secondo livello ELIIAS)
2012 Università degli Studi di Pisa, Italy Master's Degree, First-class honours Theoretical and Applied Linguistics
2011 Sofia University 'St.Kliment Ohridski', Sofia, Bulgaria Erasmus Student Slavistics
2008 Università degli Studi di Pisa, Italy Bachelor's Degree, First-class honours Foreign Languages and Literatures (Bulgarian & Russian)

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
University of Galway, Ireland Lecturer (below the bar) in Italian 02-JAN-23 /
Università per Stranieri di Siena, Italy Adjunct Lecturer - MA ELIIAS per l'insegnamento dell'italiano a stranieri 07-JAN-24 / 29-MAR-24
Kobe University, Japan JSPS PostDoc Fellow 30-JUN-22 / 30-DEC-22
University of Galway, Ireland Part-Time Teaching Assistant & E-Tutor 01-SEP-19 / 30-JUN-22
University of Galway, Ireland Research Assistant/ Lilac project 01-DEC-19 / 31-MAY-21
Youth Academy - University of Galway, Ireland Italian Language Instructor "Impariamo con i cartoni: learning Italian by captioning and re-voicing cartoons" 01-SEP-17 /
University of Galway, Ireland Italian Language Assistant 01-SEP-14 / 01-SEP-18
Youth Academy - University of Galway, Ireland Italian Language Assistant 01-SEP-14 / 01-APR-16
Centro FAST (Università per Stranieri di Siena, Italy) Online Italian Tutor 01-JAN-14 / 30-JUN-14

Languages

  Language
Italian
Classical Greek
Latin
Bulgarian
Russian
English

Community Engagement

  Title Type From / To
Outreach "Learning Italian with Geronimo Stilton" in the Week of the Italian Language in the World 14-OCT-24 / 18-OCT-24
Outreach Italian for secondary schools 19-FEB-24 / 12-MAY-24
Outreach Think Languages Day for secondary schools at University of Galway 01-DEC-23 / 01-DEC-23
Outreach Development and delivery of short 'taster' courses of Italian culture and language for secondary schools https://traballiamo.wordpress.com 01-FEB-20 / 07-MAY-21
Outreach Threesis - Talk: 'Prosodic training in FL: a study with Hiberno-English learners of Italian' 15-NOV-19 /
Outreach Italian Day for Primary School Pupils at NUIG 16-MAR-18 /
Outreach Newspaper Article "Gli irlandesi parleranno con l'intonazione spezzina" by Doris Fresco (Gazzetta della Spezia) 21-FEB-17 /
Outreach Event: "Italian Food Culture meets the Atlantic Way" (in collaboration with Slow Food Galway and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Dublino).’ 07-APR-16 /
Outreach Italian Movie Nights at NUIG 01-OCT-15 / 30-APR-16
Outreach Social media management: creating and constant updating the 'Italian Academy at NUIG' page on Facebook 01-OCT-14 / 31-OCT-18
Outreach Development and delivery of short 'taster' courses and workshops focused on Italian culture and language for secondary school students 01-SEP-14 / 31-MAY-18

Other Activities

  Description

Dr Nicora is leading the Languages Connect Initiative and she is the Outreach Officer - School of Languages, Literatures and Cultureas - at the University of Galway.

Coordinator of Outreach Activities for the Italian Language and Culture

Coordinator of Erasmus + Internships - Italian Discipline.

Coordinator of Language Teaching Assistants (PTAs) - Italian Discipline.

Teaching Interests

Italian as a Foreign Language
Prosody in Foreign Language Acquisition
Explicit Prosodic-Pragmatic Training
Didactic Audiovisual Translation (Captioning and Revoicing)
Geoprosodic Variation and Audiovisual Translation
Subtitling for Italian business communication
Learning and Teaching Languages Online

Since 2015, Dr Francesca Nicora has been teaching Italian as a foreign language at the University of Galway to students of all years, at all levels and of different age groups (children, young adults and adults). She has actively contributed to the evening diploma and online diploma courses in Italian. At the school level, she has also contributed to the GL4103 & GL1101 modules and the MA modules in Advanced Language Skills and Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism (Audiovisual Translation). She has delivered a total of 45 modules to date.

She has a very strong interest in the prosodic aspects of speech and during her doctoral studies, she designed a new didactic experience on the use of intonation patterns in the Italian language by integrating computer tools and the speech visualisation software called PRAAT into teaching practice. Furthermore, she is very involved in exploring cutting-edge software and designing audiovisual translation activities and modules in both online and blended learning environments. Of particular note is the six-week course she developed entitled 'Impariamo coi cartoni: Learning Italian by captioning and revoicing cartoons' (Youth Academy, University of Galway), which has been shortlisted for the European Language Label (ELL) Award for Innovation and Creativity (Leargas) in 2019.

As a research assistant for the 'LILAC project' (funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education), she has extensive experience in creating Open Educational Resources (OERs) by using WordPress software, H5p and innovative educational tools, such as Canva for Education and Genially. She designed and delivered the course Learning and Teaching Languages Online (GL3100), a clear example of a learning format that mimics authentic workplaces. UG/PG students took on the role of instructional designers and content creators, developing OERs for language learners (which were later published on the Lilac project website).

She developed the eight-week course `Tra-balliamo: Italian for Secondary Schools'. A playful, performative approach to the teaching of Italian as a foreign language: the body and dance as learning tools and bridges between cultures (funded by PPLI). This course aims to encourage Transition Year (TY) students to expand their imagination, find joy in self-expression and promote psychological well-being by embedding language in performing arts experiences (drama-based pedagogy).

She has volunteered to teach Italian and run Italian workshops in various primary and secondary schools in Galway City and County: Our Lady s College; Dominican College Taylor s Hill; St. Enda s College; Colaiste Na Coiribe; Clarin College (Athenry, Co. Galway); St. Brigid s College (Loughrea, Co. Galway); Scoil Iognáid, Galway; Oranmore Boys NS (Oranmore, Co. Galway).

She designed short 'taster' courses and workshops for Transition Year (TY) students and supervised a team of language assistants by planning the necessary training sessions. She also promoted Italian language and culture in Galway and the west of Ireland by organising events for the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures:

Italian Food Culture meets the Atlantic Way 7th of April 2016
Italian Day 16th of March 2018
#ThinkLanguages Day 1st of December 2023
#ThinkLanguages Day 22nd of November 2024

She was the Didactic Coordinator of the first edition of the Italian Summer Camp (August 2023) in Ireland, funded by Languages Connect and organised by the University of Galway [Italian Discipline].

She was the Programme Director, Camp Administrator, Didactic Coordinator and Lecturer of the second edition of the Italian Summer Camp (June 2024) in Ireland, funded by Languages Connect and organised by the University of Galway [Italian Discipline].

Since January 2024, within the context of the Master di secondo livello 'E-Learning per l'insegnamento dell'italiano a stranieri' (ELIIAS), Università per Stranieri di Siena (Italy), she has been teaching two online modules: Metodi di progettazione del percorso di apprendimento linguistico on line (9 hous) and Sviluppo di attività di apprendimento on line (9 hours).

External assessor for Mayara Da Silva Neto's doctoral thesis: Ordens e pedidos em português brasileiro e Italiano: entre Prosódia e Pragmática (2024). Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.

Current Postgraduate Students (Research)

  Student Degree Type Type
Jingya Hu Doctorate - Structured Ph.D. in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Co-supervisor (1)
Eko Widianto Doctorate - Structured Ph.D. in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Co-supervisor (1)

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
2017 / 2022 Impariamo con i cartoni: learning Italian by captioning and revoicing cartoons Youth Academy Italian for children / Instructor and Language Course Designer
March 2025 Sviluppo di attività di apprendimento on line Università per Stranieri di Siena (Italy) Master E-learning per l'insegnamento dell'italiano a stranieri
January 2025 Metodi di progettazione del percorso di apprendimento linguistico online Università per Stranieri di Siena (Italy) Master E-learning per l'insegnamento dell'italiano a stranieri
January 2024 Metodi di progettazione del percorso di apprendimento linguistico online Università per Stranieri di Siena (Italy) Master E-learning per l'insegnamento dell'italiano a stranieri
March 2024 Progettazione e produzione di percorsi di apprendimento online Università per Stranieri di Siena (Italy) Master E-learning per l'insegnamento dell'italiano a stranieri
2024-2025 Introduction to Audiovisual Translation GL1101 BA Global Languages
2024-2025 Intermediate Italian Language II IT236 Second Year BA
2024-2025 Intermediate Italian Language II IT236 Language Laboratory Second Year BA
2024-2025 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 1 IT128 Diploma in Italian Online
2024-2025 Italian Communication Skills IT8100 Diploma in Italian Online
2024-2025 Creative Subtitling & Free Commentary IT324 Final Year BA
2024-2025 Intermediate Italian Language I IT235 Second Year BA
2024-2025 Intermediate Italian Language I IT235 Language Laboratory Second Year BA
2023-2024 Subtitling Module GL4103 Subtitling/ BA Global Languages
2023-2024 FL Prosody Acquisition & AVT techniques IT235 Language Laboratory Second Year BA
2023-2024 Intermediate Italian Language II IT236 Language Laboratory Second Year BA
2023-2024 Intermediate Italian Language I - Grammar IT235 Second Year BA
2023-2024 Creative Subtitling IT324 Final Year BA
2023-2024 Audiovisual Translation (Italian) IT562 MA in Advanced Language Skills
2023-2024 Introduction to Audiovisual Translation GL1101 BA Global Languages
2022-2023 An Introduction to Audiovisual Translation IT563 MA in Advanced Language Skills
2022-2023 Subtitling & Made in Italy IT236 Second Year BA
2022-2023 Italian Language I IT1100 First Year BA
2021-2022 Learning and teaching languages online GL3100 MSc Applied Multilingualism
2021-2022 Italian Language III IT324 Final Year (Arts) in Italian
2021-2022 Oral, Presentation and Transferable Skills IT346 Italian Language and Communication Final Year (Arts) in Italian
2021-2022 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 1 IT128 Diploma in Italian Online
2021-2022 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 2 IT129 Diploma in Italian Online
2021-2022 Italian Language I IT1100 First Year BA
2021-2022 Intermediate Language I - Grammar IT235 Second Year BA
2021-2022 Italian Language Skills 2, Part 1 IT245 Diploma in Italian Online
2021-2022 Italian Language Skills 2, Part 2 IT246 Diploma in Italian Online
2020-2021 Learning and teaching languages online GL3100 BA in Global Languages
2020-2021 Italian Language Skills 2, Part 1 IT245 Diploma in Italian Online
2020-2021 Italian Language Skills 2, Part 2 IT246 Diploma in Italian Online
2020-2021 Intermediate Language I - Grammar IT236 Second Year BA
2020-2021 Intermediate Language I - Grammar IT235 Second Year BA
2020-2021 Intermediate Language I - Laboratory IT235 Second Year BA
2020-2021 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 1 IT128 Diploma in Italian Online
2020-2021 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 2 IT129 Diploma in Italian Online
2019-2020 Italian Language, Level 2, Part 1 IT228 Evening Diploma in Italian
2019-2020 Italian Language, Level 2, Part 2 IT229 Evening Diploma in Italian
2019-2020 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 1 IT128 Diploma in Italian Online
2019-2020 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 2 IT129 Diploma in Italian Online
2019-2020 Italian Language 1 IT1100 First Year BA
2019-2020 Applied Language Skills: Intercultural Studies IT237 Second Year BA
2019-2020 Explicit Prosodic-Pragmatic Training - Language Laboratory IT235 Second Year BA
2019-2020 Explicit Prosodic-Pragmatic Training - Language Laboratory IT236 Second Year BA
2019-2020 Oral, Presentation and Transferable Skills IT346 Final Year BA
2019-2020 Geoprosodic Variation and Audiovisual Translation IT324 Final Year BA
2017-2018 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 2 IT229 Evening Diploma in Italian
2017-2018 Explicit Prosodic-Pragmatic Training - Language Laboratory IT235 Second Year BA
2017-2018 Subtitling for Italian business communication IT251 Second Year BA (Commerce&Law)
2017-2018 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 1 IT228 Evening Diploma in Italian
2017-2018 Community Based Learning: Language Teaching IT345 Final Year BA
2016-2017 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 2 IT229 Evening Diploma in Italian
2016-2017 Italian Language Skills 1, Part 1 IT228 Evening Diploma in Italian
2016-2017 Prosody & Emotions in SLA - Language Laboratory IT235 Second Year BA
2016-2017 Subtitling for Italian business communication IT251 Second Year BA (Commerce&Law)
2016-2017 Italian Communication Skills IT8101 Diploma in Italian Online
2016-2017 Italian Communication Skills IT8100 Diploma in Italian -Online
2014-2017 Discovering Italy: Italian language and Italian Genius Youth Academy Italian for children / Language Assistant

Internal Collaborators

  Name Description of Collaboration
Professor Laura McLoughlin
Joint participation in Lilac project; Joint authoring of Mistral project.
Ms Oriana Bologna
Joint participation in Lilac and Mistral projects; Joint creation of Open Educational Resources; Joint authoring for Mistral project.

External Collaborators

  Name Organisation / Institute Country Description of Collaboration
Dr Jennifer Lertola Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid SPAIN
Experimental Studies on Audiovisual Translation: Captioning & Revoicing - Combined audiovisual translation tasks for children learners of Italian as a foreign language
Dr Cristina Plaza Lara University of Malaga SPAIN
Joint participation in the CREATEDAT project; Joint creation of lesson plans on creative subtitling, voice-over and free commentary.
Professor Barbara Gili Fivela Università del Salento (Lecce)/ Centro di Ricerca Interdisciplinare sul Linguaggio (CRIL) ITALY
Prosody - Italian varieties & Italian FL acquisition
Professor Cinzia Avesani Institute of Sciences and Technologies, ISTC-CNR, Italy ITALY
Prosody - working on Carrara Italian variety (data collection & data analysis)
Dr Chiara Meluzzi Università degli Studi di Milano ITALY
Experimental Phonetics&Phonology and Foreign Language Acquisition
Dr Ryoko Hayashi Kobe University JAPAN
Speech Prosody ~ Data Analysis

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