The Importance of Translation

Translation as a whole:

Original Sentence: 

Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt. 

Translations: 

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

This translation has a simplistic structure, with limited use of imagery. The bug is described as giant and his dreams as uneasy however that is the only descriptions given to the author. In addition, the type of syntax used is general for the sentence follows the structure of subject + verb + object. As a result of the translation's limited use of imagery and general syntax, the sentence has a simple tone. 

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

By this translation starting off with the words, "When Gregor Samsa awoke.." it creates the tone that a story is being told because the structure of the sentence is in the past tense. It also uses formal diction such as "awoke" and provides context as to where Gregor's transformation occurred providing more imagery than in the previous translation. In comparison to the first translation the bug is being described as enormous rather than big. The word enormous holds a more dramatic connotation with the action being done. The syntax of this translation does not follow the general form because it adds in words that are not needed to get the point across therefore adding more drama to the sentence. 

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

In this translation, the structure of the sentence is in the present tense producing a tone of excitement. It also uses the words, "he found himself.." which creates the image in the reader's mind of Gregor looking at his own hands with great surprise. With the first translation when it says, "to find himself.." it limits the reader's ability to imagine Gregor's response to the transformation. This translation also uses the word "gigantic" to describe the insect which is relatively similar to "enormous" when compared to the first translation which uses the word "big". 

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

The diction used in this translation is more dramatic than the rest for it uses the words "agitated" and "monstrous vermin". The syntax also differs from the rest because it introduces the verb first then the subject and lastly the object. As a result, this translation is more focused on the situation of Greg Samsa. In addition, this translation uses more imagery than the rest. The reader is able to feel how Gregor's dreams felt through the use of the word "agitated".  The translation describes the bug as monstrous creating a more negative connotation to the object making the overall tone more serious.

Translation as a whole: 

Translations are a series of choices. Each word and punctuation creates a change in the overall tone of the sentence. That is why it is important to know that although translations are useful when reaching out to a larger audience, they have limitations. These limitations are that the newly worded sentence can take away from the original tone, purpose, and overall meaning.

Another crucial aspect of translations is that because we see through this blog post is that different translations create different tones of the sentence. What is the result of all the sentences in the book being translated? Does that change the overall meaning of the novel? That is why it is very important to look at different translations to better grasp the author's initial intention with his creation of sentences.