Lost In Translation

#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

diction (connotation/denotation): simple and straightforward. The use of "gigantic" adds some extremity.

- syntax: Lack of punctuation except the period at the end of the sentence. No pauses in sentence
- imagery/details: Imagery is created with the use of the descriptive words "uneasy" and "gigantic"

- structure: The sentence begins with "as," so the reader is already placed into the action. The lack of punctuation also adds to this effect, by making this action seem instantaneous. 

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.

diction (connotation/denotation): Also simple. Uses slang- "bug"

- syntax: Also lack of punctuation

- imagery/details: not much detail. Seems abbreviated- Removes the part about being in bed. Also changes Gregor to Gregory

- structure: shortened from the original(also shorter when compared to other translations)

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

diction (connotation/denotation): More serious. The words "troubled" and "enormous" add a little more drama and negativity to the situation. Also uses the slang term "bug". 

- syntax: Again lack of punctuation, but it seems like there should be a comma after "morning" (I paused at this point)

- imagery/details: Strong imagery created using "troubled" and "enormous." Made me think of a big spider.

- structure: Events told in the past. Lack of punctuation creates a sense of wordiness. 

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

diction (connotation/denotation): Higher level of formality than the other translations. 

- syntax: Only translation that uses punctuation. Breaks up the sentence into different parts- makes it easier to follow and understand

- imagery/details: Word choice plays large role in creating imagery. Unlike the other translations that said that use a synonym of big to describe the bug, this translation uses monstrous. This effects the way the reader perceives Gregor's transformation.

- structure: the separation of the sentence makes it seem more dramatic

After analyzing each, respond to the following questions in a well-developed (2-3 paragraphs) response- think about the translations as a whole: How does the word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each affect meaning? Is one more effective than another? Why? What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts? How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence? 

The word choice, syntax, punctuation, etc. affects the meaning because it changes what information the reader interprets. For example, the words "uneasy" and and "bug" used in the second translation gives a lighter impression on the reader than "monstrous" and "vermin," which sound intense and horrific.I think that the fourth translation is the most effective because it relates better to Kafka's emphasis on absurdity absurdity of existence, the conflicts that come with authoritarian power, and the alienating experience of modern life. The other translations seemed animated in the way they describe Gregor's transformation. However, in the 4th translation, the description of Gregor as a "monstrous vermin" makes the situation more serious and attention grabbing.

The difficulty with reading translated texts is that there are many ways to translate an original text, and each translation will have a slightly different meaning. Unfortunately, this takes away from the author's original intentions because the reader is reading the translator's interpretation of the text. Another difficulty that comes with translation is that there are some words or phrases that have no direct English translation, so the translator is has to adjust certain words that can have an affect on the overall meaning of the text. Tone is essentially created by the way a character or narrator responds to his/her current situation. The different translations affect the tone by changing the focus is during that situation, or the words used to describe the situation.