A Framework for Teaching Translation and Culture: A Case Study of Leonardo De Martino’s Italo-Albanian Verse

The teaching of translated and bilingual poetry in higher education presents unique pedagogical challenges related to conveying cultural nuance and the creative aspects of linguistic transfer. This article presents a pedagogical framework for the university literature classroom by conducting a detailed linguistic and stylistic analysis of the 19th-century Italo-Albanian poem 'L'Ora pro Nobis' by Leonardo De Martino, who translated his own work from Italian to Albanian. Using a comparative textual analysis methodology, the study examines how metrics, lexicon, and rhetorical figures were adapted during the translation process. The findings reveal that while structural fidelity was maintained, significant creative shifts were made at the semantic level to embed the work within Albanian cultural and linguistic traditions. This analysis serves as a rich case study, concluding that such micro-level textual examination provides educators with a powerful tool to enhance student learning outcomes in literary interpretation, intercultural competence, and the critical understanding of translation as a creative act. Received: 19 October 2025 / Accepted: 23 December 2025 / Published: January 2026