Syntax- uneasy, transformed, gigantic, insect
Imagery/details- He slept poorly, and and transformed into a strange creature
Structure- simple, concise
Other stylistic/figurative elements- introductory sentence
#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
Syntax- uneasy, changed, giant, bug
Imagery/details- Reader can picture Samsa as a giant bug
Structure- short, concise
Other stylistic/figurative elements- doesn't provide much information, short intro sentence
#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
Syntax- troubled, transformed, enormous, bug
Imagery/details- more detailed, reader knows he awoke in his bed
Structure- longer, but not run on
Other stylistic/figurative elements- leaves the reader asking why
#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Syntax- agitated, transformed, monstrous, vermin
Imagery/details- included the most detail, reader gets a mental picture
Structure- choppy, wordy
Other stylistic/figurative elements- introduction sentence, hook
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 plays a very import role in determining the meaning of a sentence. Each translation provided covers the exact same scenario, but word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery make the sentences a little bit different than each other. In every sentence, different words are used to describe Samsa's sleep and the creature he changes into. The different word choices make the sentences have slightly different interpretations by the reader. Some of the sentences provide a more detailed description of setting, while others are simpler and leave the reader asking even more questions. Word choice is the most effective way of manipulating the meaning of a sentence because changing one word could leave the sentence meaning something completely different. Good word choice is vital if an author wants to effectively convey the intended meaning of a sentence or text.
This exercise shows that translating texts can be a very difficult business. If even a slight mistake is made, then the meaning of the sentence can be lost or changed. Different translations can cause the tone of the sentence to be altered. By changed a word from one language into a similar but not exact word from another language, the entire tone of the sentence can shift from passive to aggressive or interested to passionate. Each word was specifically chosen by the original author and is extremely important to the overall meaning. Translators need to be careful they do not make mistakes that could alter an author's original intention.
