Translations

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

- diction (connotation/denotation):

• "awoke"- more formal word than saying "woke up"
• original German translation of "Gregor Samsa"
• "uneasy"- not very specific, doesn't imply negative or positive tone
• "transformed" more extreme than changed
• "bed"- personal
• "gigantic"- very powerful word as opposed to "big" or "large"
• "insect"- more powerful than "bug"

- syntax

• lack of punctuation until the end of the sentence even though a comma was needed after "dreams"

- imagery/details

• audience is given location (in Gregor's bed, implying he's most likely in his room)
• "gigantic insect"- left to our own interpretation

- structure

• cause and effect
• past tense
• no commas or other significant punctuation

- any other stylist/figurative elements

• third-person POV
• the tone is almost like it's trying to begin a story

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

- diction (connotation/denotation)

• changed the original translation of "Gregor" to "Gregory
• "uneasy"- neither negative or positive connotation
• "changed"- less definite than "transformed"; implies that it can possibly be reversed
• "giant"- less extreme than "gigantic" but still more dramatic than "big" or "huge"
• "woke" more active and less formal than "awoke"

- syntax

• very casual and matter-of-fact sounding
• more active in general
• no punctuation which makes it seem more factual

- imagery/details

• we are not given a location
• "one morning" gives us a since of time
• not as easy to picture as the first translation because some words are not as specific and do not definitely imply negative or positive connotation

- structure

• short, sweet, and to the point
• could have happened in the past but not certain

- any other stylist/figurative elements

• 3rd person POV again
• amusing tone

#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)

• "when"- past tense
• "troubles"- more specific than "uneasy"
• more dramatic word choices: "transformed" (implying there's no turning back), "enormous (more dramatic than gigantic)
• "bug"-not as dramatic 

- syntax

• no commas; there should be one after "morning"
• feels weird to read "in his bed" at its particular place 
  
  

- imagery/details

• can easily imagine Gregor waking up confused based on these words, although the 1st translation made it a little more explicit by using "insect" instead of "bug"

- structure

• past-tense
• no correct punctuation (except for the period at the end)
• cause and effect flow
• could have been worded a little more effectively

- any other stylist/figurative elements

• factual tone

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








- diction (connotation/denotation)

• most specific adjective to describe Gregor's dreams of all the translations
• "monstrous vermon"- most extreme description of all the translations, very imaginative
• everything about this translation gives a negative connotation and makes the story seem like a horror movie

- syntax

• commas are in all the right places; extends the sentence, somewhat (if that makes sense)
• read much more smoothly than the preceding translations
  

- imagery/details

• soooooooooooooooo much more imagery!
• diction choices here make me picture something horrific and outlandish
• negativity to the max

- structure

• past-tense
• formalistic
• focus is less on the fact that Gregor woke up and more on the fact that he is now living this extreme nightmare, which is much more dramatic (me likey)

- any other stylist/figurative elements

• I feel like "monstrous vermin" is a hyperbole based on how much different it is from the other translations

Each translation is interpreted differently based on the changes in tone caused by these combinations of diction, syntax, imagery, and structure. The first two translations seem like they could have been for a more juvenile audience, considering how lighthearted and matter-of-fact it was (definitely less nightmare-ish the last one). The absurdism that Kafka was trying to suggest is slim to none in these. However, the last two definitely make the absurdity stand out much more, especially the extremely dramatic fourth one. The third one maintained its factual tone, but still managed to throw in the absurdity of the situation with words like "troubled," "transformed," and "enormous." Also, the word "when" is interesting here. Usually, we use this word to describe a specific order of events in a cause and effect style. This word being used here makes the sentence seem very casual, which disconnects the reader from the absurdity of the situation.


What stood out to me the most was the fact that every translation, excluding the last one, lacked proper punctuation (commas are fundamental people!). The lack of commas made the situation seem more normal, like everything else about Gregor's day was business as usual except for the fact that he now has to go through as a huge insect (maybe that's just not that weird to these translators??? IDK). However, once I read the fourth one, the abundance of commas allowed me to let each clause resonate with me in order to understand the full absurdity of it. Considering this, the fourth translation is most effective in preparing the reader for what they're about to read. Also, the syntax here makes it seem like Gregor "found himself" in more of a metaphorical way, which really emphasizes the point Kafka was trying to make about strangeness of human existence.


It is clear to me through this exercise that a text can be easily misinterpreted by just changing the choice and order of a few words in a sentence. Without reading the author's original work, the reader's interpretation is limited by the bias of the translator that they can understand.