“My visiting professorship was the turning point in my career!”
(interviewed in the year 2024)
Thomas Scheufler
As an Eleonore Trefftz Visiting Female Professor at TU Dresden, Prof. Luisa Giacoma learned how to organize herself as a professor in order to achieve her goals as efficiently as possible. As a regional ambassador and member of the TUD International Alumni Council, she now builds bridges between TUD and Italian universities and institutions.
Luisa Giacoma is Alumna of the Month June 2024.
| Profile | Prof. Luisa Giacoma |
| Degree program | German Studies and Romance Studies |
| Faculty | Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies |
| Study period | 2015 and 2016 |
| Current work | Professor of German Language and Translation Studies at the Università della Valle d'Aosta (Italy) |
| Regional Ambassador | for Italy since 2015 and as a member of the International Alumni Council since 2023 responsible for Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean |
Why did you apply for the Eleonore Trefftz Program for Visiting Female Professors at TU Dresden?
My stay at TU Dresden began with the invitation from Prof. Maria Lieber at the Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies to act as an assessor for the defense of Dr. Antonella Ruggieri’s dissertation on 25 June, 2014. This initial contact was followed by a preparatory phase to develop concrete plans for joint projects in the field of phraseology research and lexicography, as I had edited several dictionaries for the language pair German-Italian.
Luisa Giacoma at the Turin Book Fair.
In addition to teaching six hours per week (“SWS” in the form of a lecture, seminar and research colloquium), my Senior Fellowship at TU Dresden included the workshop “Tradurre l'Europa, Capirsi per comprendersi / Verstehen, um sich zu verständigen - ein kreativer Dialog zwischen Deutschland und Italien” (Understanding in order to make yourself understood - a creative dialog between Germany and Italy). This was organized in May 2015 under the auspices of the European Commission, and together with the Università di Torino, the European Master of Lexicography, the publishing house Zanichelli and the Center for Italian Studies at TUD. The workshop was a preparation for the subsequent translation competition, which involved 20 students translating several texts in tandems. The winners and I were then invited to Brussels by the European Commission to present this project at the Translating Europe Forum 2015.
What do you remember most fondly from your stay at TU Dresden?
I found ideal working conditions at TU Dresden, both in terms of professional involvement in teaching and research as well as the personal relationships with my colleagues. I was immediately integrated into campus and institute life thanks to various invitations from the University Executive Board and at faculty and institute level. In particular, I was supported by Prof. Dr. Maria Lieber's team. This made my work so much easier. The library facilities are excellent and allowed me to continue my research at every
stage. I also found a very affordable place to live in Dresden and felt really at home at TU Dresden. This was facilitated by Dr. Simona Brunetti, who helped me a lot with looking for accommodation and with organizing my stay and my daily work. The Welcome Center of TU Dresden was also a great help with finding my daughter a place in a Dresden school.
Watch the video clip to find out how Luisa experienced her stay in Dresden, what she is currently researching and how she is building bridges to Italy as a TUD regional ambassador. © ravir film
To what extent did the Eleonore Trefftz visiting professorship at TU Dresden help you in your further academic career?
I was very happy with my stay because I was able to work much more efficiently and in a more organized way at TUD compared to Italy. This led in every respect to results that I had never achieved before in such a short time. My visiting professorship was the turning point in my career: When I returned to Italy, I left the Università di Torino and shortly afterwards (2017), I was offered a professorship in German Language and Translation Studies at the Università della Valle d'Aosta (Italy), where I am still working today. The experience at TU Dresden showed me the path I ought to follow to achieve my goals in the best possible way.
What do you still benefit from today or is there anything you would have preferred?
At TU Dresden, I learned how to work best as a professor. This helps me every day in my academic work. It is also extremely important to me that I still have active and regular contact with TUD and that I also have some roles at the university, such as Regional Ambassador for Italy or mentor. It would be desirable if, in future, fellowships could be awarded over several, regular periods of time, so that it would be possible for the collaboration to be sustainable from the outset.
Luisa Giacoma with Françoise Rigat and Raffaella Odicino from the Universita della Valle d'Aosta.
Where do you work today and in which subject area do you conduct research?
I am a professor of German language and translation studies at the Università della Valle d'Aosta (Italy). I am also an honorary member of the Italian Association of Interpreters and Translators AITI (Associazione Italiana Traduttori e Interpreti).
What advice would you give to young female academics aspiring to a professorship today?
I would advise them not to waste time in the wrong place: If they feel they are not achieving anything where they are, then they need to move on to somewhere else. Especially if they are constantly being hindered. They should look for a university where they can put their ideas into practice.
What connects you to TU Dresden today?
I am involved as both a mentor and a regional ambassador and I am very proud of that! I am deeply, deeply grateful to Susann Mayer and also Katharina Gabel-Stransky (from the Internship Office LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN)
During Alumni Week 2023 with 19 other regional ambassadors and TUD Rector Prof. Ursula M. Staudinger (front center).
As a TUD Regional Ambassador, how can you currently support TUD members who are interested in studying abroad or research collaborations in Italy?
I am always available to build bridges between TUD members, the city of Dresden and Italy. For example: I can help those who want to go to Italy with information about Italy, as I did in the workshop Living, Studying and Working in Italy organized by LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN in 2020. This workshop dealt with topics that are particularly relevant to students. How do people live, study and work in Italy nowadays? Are the clichés about Italians still valid? What can you expect if you want to gain experience in Italy? How can you find an internship? How much money do you need per month to live in Italy? Do you usually get an internship allowance?
What opportunities for cooperation do you see for the future?
In conversation with the TUD Rector, Prof. Ursula M. Staudinger.
Together with Prof. Anna Maria De Cesare-Greenwald, we are working on an Erasmus exchange between TUD and the Università della Valle d'Aosta. I will also continue to be a firmly committed regional ambassador and mentor. During my fellowship, I used my network of contacts with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Translation Center of the EU institutions, as well as with German and Italian universities and institutions, to make TU Dresden known as a place of scientific encounter in the field of lexicology and phraseology, and I would like to continue to do so.
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