Lost in Translation

Translations (outline): 

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

a.       Diction: Use of the word “uneasy” makes the dreams seem not too bad: manageable. “Found himself” signifies that the result was unexpected and came as a surprise to the protagonist.

b.       Syntax: Only one period, no commas. Describes action “as” it is happening.

c.       Imagery/details: “In his bed” gives the reader an idea of where the scene is taking place. Thus, the reader can visualize a “gigantic insect” lying in a human bed.

d.       Structure: Active voice, narrative.

e.       Any other stylist/figurative elements: Written from third person point of view.

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

a.       Diction: The use of “uneasy” once again makes the dreams seem bad, but not too terrible. “Find himself” also is used to show that the protagonist did not expect to turn into an insect.

b.       Syntax: One period and no commas. Told as a completed action done in the past.

c.       Imagery/details: “Giant bug” provides an image of what Samsa has been transformed into. Lack of “in his bed” frees the reader’s mind to imagine Samsa as a bug in other places/situations.

d.       Structure: Rising action, active voice, narration leaves much unexplained.

e.       Any other stylist/figurative elements: Third person point of view, “giant bug” serves as a euphemism when compared to saying “gigantic insect”.

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

a.       Diction: “Troubled dreams” suggest reminiscent of a nightmare, denotation and connotation rather similar.

b.       Syntax: Still no use of commas or complex sentence structure.

c.       Imagery/details: “Enormous bug” suggests that the bug is comparable in stature to a human.

d.       Structure: Told in a chronological fashion, uses passive voice.

e.       Any other stylist/figurative elements: Third person point of view gives reader limited introspection into Samsa’s thoughts and concerns.

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

a.       Diction: “Monstrous vermin” makes for a much scarier and dramatic description than the other translations. “Agitated” dreams supplement this style of creating fear within the reader.

b.       Syntax: Use of commas to build anticipation and setup scene. Told as a completed action.

c.       Imagery/details: A “monstrous vermin” puts a nasty image in the reader’s mind, suggests that he is naturally evil.

d.       Structure: Structure heavily influenced by the use of commas, mix of active and passive voice.

e.       Any other stylist/figurative elements: Most complex structure of all the other translations, still uses third person point of view.

Franz Kafka's novella, Metamorphosis, has been translated from German to many other languages; from German to English alone, more than four translations have been made. By looking at each of these translations, it’s interesting to see how meaning can change and interpretations vary, despite all coming from the same original text. In the examples above, diction and imagery differ amongst the four translations and thus a different effect is made on the reader for each one. Take the description of Samsa’s dreams for example. While the first two translations describe them as “uneasy,” the third calls them “troubled” and the last one “agitated.” Each of these words represent different degrees to which Samsa’s dreams were a nightmare. As the translations progress, the implied meaning is that Samsa’s dreams became worse and worse. As a result, Kafka’s original meaning may be lost in translation.

      Another great example of diction, as well as imagery, are the descriptions used to describe what Samsa was transformed into: “gigantic insect,” “giant bug,” “enormous bug,” and “monstrous vermin.” With each of these examples, the reader is left with a different idea and understanding of the transformation. When a word like “bug” is used, it’s a broader term than “insect” and as a result the translation does not seem as dramatic. “Insect” forces the reader to consider the fine details of the new Samsa: six legs, antennas, big eyes, etc. Although the first three translations use “insect” and “bug” respectively, the tone for all three of them is surprise and genuine shock. The last translation, however, differs in that it takes on an entirely new tone: menacing and threatening. Using the phrase “monstrous vermin” to describe the new Samsa makes the reader fearful of what the protagonist has become. The language has greater connotative power and is therefore stronger in its effect on the reader.

      From this exercise, the difficulty of reading translated texts is made self-evident. The intended meaning from the original author and the resulting meaning from its translators can vary drastically. Because of this, one must be careful when analyzing the author’s intent using a translated version. In this exercise, the final translation was the most effective in that its use of diction and syntax engaged the reader more than the previous three translations; the use of commas heightens the reader’s anticipation and the word choice makes the reader fearful. Regardless, this may completely contrast with Kafka’s original intention. In the German version, Kafka may have wanted this sentence to hit the reader in a subtler manner. Tone is important to an author’s writing style, yet it is often lost in translation. As a result, the translator’s tone may be the one that prevails.