Metamorphosis Translations

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

Diction: The author makes a couple of key word choices in this sentence. Notice how he uses the word "insect" instead of bug. Insects and bugs are not quite the same thing because insects can fly and bugs can't. He also uses the word "transformed" instead of a word like "changed" to give it a more dramatic effect.

Syntax: The order of the sentence was fairly clear. It made sense and showed that he was dramatically turning from a human being to an insect that will change his life forever.

Imagery/Details: The words "bed" and "dreams" give the reader a picture inside their head that this scene is taking place at night in his bedroom and the word "gigantic" provides details to make the scene seem like a big deal. 

Structure: The structure of the sentence includes some unnecessary phrases such as "awoke one morning from uneasy dreams" which is not needed because it's irrelevant to mention his dream when he is transforming into an insect. 

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

Diction: In this translation, the word "changed" is used instead of "transformed" which gives it a less dramatic effect and makes the switch from human to insect less intense. The author also uses the word bug which is a less sophisticated way of using the word "insect."

Syntax: The order of the sentence is a little more confusing while putting "uneasy dreams" before "one morning" as maybe a way to foreshadow or give a prelude to an upcoming event in his life.

Imagery/Details: There a lack of details in this sentence. Mainly adverbs and adjectives are used.

Structure: The sentence is much more concise than the previous one. It's very to the point and less dramatic. This was mean't to be a dramatic, life changing scene and this translation makes it sound very casual.

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

Diction: The author uses "troubled" to describe Gregor's dreams and discuss his internal conflict. The author also uses the word "enormous" to emphasize how huge his transformation is.

Syntax: The order of the sentence is pretty much the same as translation #1 except different words are used.

Imagery/Details: "The enormous bug" gives the reader an idea or picture of how big his bug self became.

Structure: Very straight forward. He awoke from his bad dreams and changed into a huge bug.

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

Diction: The term "monstrous vermin" makes his transformation sound very cruel and unpleasant like he is an evil creature.

Syntax: Starting out with the phrase "one morning" is just a specific way to address when this is taking place and live in the exact moment it happens.

Imagery/Details: There are many descriptive words use to make the scene sound scary and frightening such as "agitated" and "monstrous."

Structure: There are many breaks in the sentence with commas which make the sentence less coherent and more confusing. 

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?

Word choice can affect the meaning in many ways. When an author writes a text he/she chooses the words that they best believe will convey the message they are trying to send. Sometimes the author explicitly states the meaning of the text by using the specific meaning of words. Other times the author uses figurative language and connotative word meanings which suggest an underlying message to the reader. 

Syntax in literature gives the sum of the words meaning in a way that simply listing words never could. Syntax influences literature in a big way, because without proper syntax literature would simply not exist, nor would many of the subtleties that academics and casual readers alike love to ponder. In looking at syntax in literature, writers can use it in numerous ways to convey different meanings and provoke certain responses. As for sentence structure, it helps the sentence become more clear and concise by putting the words in a particular order that makes sense for the reader. Imagery creates meaning in many different ways. such rhetorical devices can help the reader understand what is being said by emphasizing certain phrases with figurative writing.