Hola... I mean.. Bonjour.. Er.. Hello!
~flashback~ to a French one speaking test, where I told Mr. Jones that "I was excited to go play soccer" in French. Little did I know that I used the wrong meaning of excited... This is when I learned the importance of translation... Now to the blog!
Translation #1:
Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
The translator for this utilized the word "uneasy" in order to describe his dreams. The use of this word suggests that Gregory is not completely shaken by these dreams, he simply feels uncomfortable about what he experienced.This word has the effect of lessening how the the dream seemed to impact Gregory. The use of the word "find" also lessens the impact of the situation Gregory is in. Find gives a calmer overall tone to the sentence because it implies that he simply stumbled upon the fact that he was suddenly a bug. The syntax is long and does not include pauses within the sentence. The sentence is not broken up by commas and different punctuation points, but instead is written as a complete sentence with no interruption of the flow. The imagery and detail within this sentence is also limited. The translator uses two adjectives for description. "Uneasy" is used to describe the dreams and "giant" is the descriptor for the bug. Other than these words, the translation does not go into intense detail about the events that occured. Since this sentence is simplistic is does not really include other stylistic features or elements within.
Translation #2:
When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
"Troubled" described the dreams in this specific translation. The word troubled suggests that his dreams were disturbing and also makes the audience believe that the dreams had something horrible happen. Additionally, the word "transformed" illustrates the process of how Gregory came to be a bug, and this word implies that this process was more dramatic than just finding himself as a bug. The detail in this sentence is slightly more than the detail present in the first translation but it still lacks extensive detail. However, the sentence describes how he "transformed in his bed" which gives an image to the audience of where this occurred. The syntax within the sentence is long as related to the first translation. This sentence includes lots of words, but they are not broken up by any pauses. This sentence also does not include additional stylistic features due to its simplistic nature except for the slight imagery when describing the location of the transformation.
Translation #3: As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
This translation combines the first two in the diction used within. Again, this translation utilizes "uneasy" to suggest the anxiety and tension associated with the dream. Additionally, the word "transformed" is used to add a sense of drama and describe to the audience that it was a full transformation that turned Gregory into a bug. the detail within the sentence is again more detailed due to the fact that the translator included the fact that he transformed in his bed, giving a visual idea of the transformation, even though the whole situation is still ambiguous. The syntax is again long and does not include pauses in the structure. However, the placement of the words suggests that the dreams resulted in the transformation. Again, there is a lack of stylistic features and devices within this particular translation.
Translation #4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Immediately, it is seen that there is change in the syntax for this translation. Breaking up this sentence allows for emphasis on the event, and adds a build-up of drama to the situation. Additionally, it reflects the surprise and shock of finding out he is a bug. The word choice of "agitated" suggests that his dreams were disturbing and extremely uncomfortable which creates a stronger overall negative tone than the previous sentences. Also the word choice of "monstrous vermin" also emphasizes this negative tone created. The translation suggests that this is a horrible creature he transformed into. The details and imagery is stronger in this translation because "monstrous" gives a more detailed idea to the audience about the size and appearance of the creature he transformed into.
It's question time!!
How does the word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each affect meaning? Is one more effective than another? Why?
The word choice affects the meaning because although each translation is communicating the same message, each of the different choices affect how the message comes across. For example, "giant bug" gives less of an impact on the reader than "monstrous vermin." They both tell the reader that he turned into a creature, but one gives a drastically more negative tone than the other. This is the same for the words "troubled/agitated versus uneasy. Troubled and agitated suggest that the dreams were extremely disturbing and affected him more. Uneasy just suggests slight discomfort. Syntax also shifts the meaning of the different translations. The breaking up of the sentence into individual sections increases the overall tension of the sentence due to the emphasis on the words, making the reader focus on what the sentence is trying to communicate. Without the use of punctuation, the reader might miss a crucial word in the sentence, and also does not place importance on certain words that the author might have originally wanted to be emphasized. The imagery also shifts the meaning because with the first translation, it was not stated that he was in his bed when he found he was a bug. When I read the first translation I imagined Gregory casually getting ready in the morning then looking in the mirror and discovering his appearance. My view changed after this when I read he was in his bed. This gave me a more specific image in my head. Despite their differences, it is hard to judge if one is more effective than the other unless it is clear the author's intention. For example, the author of the first three might have wanted the discovery to seem more casual, and not as dramatic. However, if the author was looking for a dramatic change in the novel, the last translation would be more effective on the reader.
What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts?
The difficulty with translated texts is that each includes different words and structures that all affect the meaning of the translation. The reader can never truly know how the author originally intended for the message of the text. The differences of several translations can limit understanding of the original text and cause many different interpretations of the same book or text. This relates to many different languages. In some languages, words with that specific meaning do not exist in English. This can cause problems because words are completely absent from the vocabulary of certain languages causing things to be lost in translation. For example, in English we use the word "love." However, the ancient greeks discovered there are many different forms of love and came up with words such as "Philia" which in English means "friendship" but the greek translation is warmer than the English version. This difference represents how meaning can be lost through the use of different words in translations.
How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence?
Different translations can drastically change the tone of a sentence simply by the use of different words within a sentence. Using words such as "monstrous" and "vermin" give a different tone because of their intense negative connotation whereas "bug" is less drastic, thus changing the overall tone and how the message is being communicated. Synonyms can have the same meaning, but have different impacts on the reader. The translator may choose a word specifically to communicate a specific tone. If an author chooses to describe someone as youthful, it can be perceived in a positive light, but if a different translation describes them as childlike, this can give a negative tone and perception of the character being described. The choice of one specific word can change the tone of the sentence.
Sources:
https://youtu.be/dQS9g9JFI08
Translation #1:
Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
The translator for this utilized the word "uneasy" in order to describe his dreams. The use of this word suggests that Gregory is not completely shaken by these dreams, he simply feels uncomfortable about what he experienced.This word has the effect of lessening how the the dream seemed to impact Gregory. The use of the word "find" also lessens the impact of the situation Gregory is in. Find gives a calmer overall tone to the sentence because it implies that he simply stumbled upon the fact that he was suddenly a bug. The syntax is long and does not include pauses within the sentence. The sentence is not broken up by commas and different punctuation points, but instead is written as a complete sentence with no interruption of the flow. The imagery and detail within this sentence is also limited. The translator uses two adjectives for description. "Uneasy" is used to describe the dreams and "giant" is the descriptor for the bug. Other than these words, the translation does not go into intense detail about the events that occured. Since this sentence is simplistic is does not really include other stylistic features or elements within.
Translation #2:
When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
"Troubled" described the dreams in this specific translation. The word troubled suggests that his dreams were disturbing and also makes the audience believe that the dreams had something horrible happen. Additionally, the word "transformed" illustrates the process of how Gregory came to be a bug, and this word implies that this process was more dramatic than just finding himself as a bug. The detail in this sentence is slightly more than the detail present in the first translation but it still lacks extensive detail. However, the sentence describes how he "transformed in his bed" which gives an image to the audience of where this occurred. The syntax within the sentence is long as related to the first translation. This sentence includes lots of words, but they are not broken up by any pauses. This sentence also does not include additional stylistic features due to its simplistic nature except for the slight imagery when describing the location of the transformation.
Translation #3: As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
This translation combines the first two in the diction used within. Again, this translation utilizes "uneasy" to suggest the anxiety and tension associated with the dream. Additionally, the word "transformed" is used to add a sense of drama and describe to the audience that it was a full transformation that turned Gregory into a bug. the detail within the sentence is again more detailed due to the fact that the translator included the fact that he transformed in his bed, giving a visual idea of the transformation, even though the whole situation is still ambiguous. The syntax is again long and does not include pauses in the structure. However, the placement of the words suggests that the dreams resulted in the transformation. Again, there is a lack of stylistic features and devices within this particular translation.
Translation #4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Immediately, it is seen that there is change in the syntax for this translation. Breaking up this sentence allows for emphasis on the event, and adds a build-up of drama to the situation. Additionally, it reflects the surprise and shock of finding out he is a bug. The word choice of "agitated" suggests that his dreams were disturbing and extremely uncomfortable which creates a stronger overall negative tone than the previous sentences. Also the word choice of "monstrous vermin" also emphasizes this negative tone created. The translation suggests that this is a horrible creature he transformed into. The details and imagery is stronger in this translation because "monstrous" gives a more detailed idea to the audience about the size and appearance of the creature he transformed into.
It's question time!!
How does the word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each affect meaning? Is one more effective than another? Why?
The word choice affects the meaning because although each translation is communicating the same message, each of the different choices affect how the message comes across. For example, "giant bug" gives less of an impact on the reader than "monstrous vermin." They both tell the reader that he turned into a creature, but one gives a drastically more negative tone than the other. This is the same for the words "troubled/agitated versus uneasy. Troubled and agitated suggest that the dreams were extremely disturbing and affected him more. Uneasy just suggests slight discomfort. Syntax also shifts the meaning of the different translations. The breaking up of the sentence into individual sections increases the overall tension of the sentence due to the emphasis on the words, making the reader focus on what the sentence is trying to communicate. Without the use of punctuation, the reader might miss a crucial word in the sentence, and also does not place importance on certain words that the author might have originally wanted to be emphasized. The imagery also shifts the meaning because with the first translation, it was not stated that he was in his bed when he found he was a bug. When I read the first translation I imagined Gregory casually getting ready in the morning then looking in the mirror and discovering his appearance. My view changed after this when I read he was in his bed. This gave me a more specific image in my head. Despite their differences, it is hard to judge if one is more effective than the other unless it is clear the author's intention. For example, the author of the first three might have wanted the discovery to seem more casual, and not as dramatic. However, if the author was looking for a dramatic change in the novel, the last translation would be more effective on the reader.
What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts?
The difficulty with translated texts is that each includes different words and structures that all affect the meaning of the translation. The reader can never truly know how the author originally intended for the message of the text. The differences of several translations can limit understanding of the original text and cause many different interpretations of the same book or text. This relates to many different languages. In some languages, words with that specific meaning do not exist in English. This can cause problems because words are completely absent from the vocabulary of certain languages causing things to be lost in translation. For example, in English we use the word "love." However, the ancient greeks discovered there are many different forms of love and came up with words such as "Philia" which in English means "friendship" but the greek translation is warmer than the English version. This difference represents how meaning can be lost through the use of different words in translations.
How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence?
Different translations can drastically change the tone of a sentence simply by the use of different words within a sentence. Using words such as "monstrous" and "vermin" give a different tone because of their intense negative connotation whereas "bug" is less drastic, thus changing the overall tone and how the message is being communicated. Synonyms can have the same meaning, but have different impacts on the reader. The translator may choose a word specifically to communicate a specific tone. If an author chooses to describe someone as youthful, it can be perceived in a positive light, but if a different translation describes them as childlike, this can give a negative tone and perception of the character being described. The choice of one specific word can change the tone of the sentence.
Sources:
https://youtu.be/dQS9g9JFI08
Okay that story made me giggle not going to lie... but great blog post! I really liked how in detail you went within each of the translations to discuss how each factor of the sentence allowed for the meanings from one to the next shift. I agree that tone, syntax, and word choice have great impact on sentence meanings. Yay for blogging! Great job Hay
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