IB Lit and Lang Blog 11: Nothing Really Mattress(?): Kafka, Camus, and the Importance of Translation
First Translation: This translation is the shortest of the four translations and is also the least descriptive. It also changes the character's name from Gregor, like in the original and other translations, to Gregory. This translation also just throws you into the conflict, immediately saying he woke up as a giant bug, without any description of his situation; meanwhile the other translations have at least one word before his name to make it more of a complex sentence. The use of "giant bug" also is not very descriptive compared to the other translations, like "gigantic insect."
Second Translation: This translation is much more detailed. It lets us know that he was transformed into an enormous bug, which gives us a better understanding of how big he is, unlike the word giant. It also lets us know that he transformed into the bug in his bed, which lets us know that he didn't possibly sleep walk somewhere else while transforming, and also lets us know he was in fact a human before transforming.
Third Translation: This translation is very similar to the second translation, where the only difference, other than the use of "gigantic" instead of "enormous" when describing what he transformed into, is the placement of the words. This translation says he awoke in the morning first before saying he awoke from "uneasy" dreams, whereas the second translation says he awoke from "troubled" dreams before saying he awoke in the morning. This doesn't have any major literary effect other than just the change in structure, but does show how different translations not only get different words, but also the word placements.
Fourth Translation: The final translation is arguably the most descriptive translation of them all. This translation uses the word "agitated" when describing his dreams, which are much different from the other three, and also uses "monstrous vermin" when describing his transformation. The different diction when describing the transformation gives us a better understanding of what he transformed into. The dictionary definition for vermin is wild animals that are harmful to crops or carry disease, but another definition is a person who is deemed harmful to society. I thought this was interesting because all of the other translations give the sense that he transformed into a bug like a giant ant or something, meanwhile this translation gives he possibility that he was somehow disfigured and insane instead of actually turning into a different animal.
Each translation has different meanings and imagery behind them. While the first translation is barely descriptive at all, the last translation is much more descriptive, even though they were both translated from the same source text. The first translation's syntax and diction make it seem rushed, like he woke up very quickly and found he was no longer human. However, the other three translations gives more explanation or imagery to him waking up. Additionally, by including that he woke up in his bed, it gives us sound evidence that he was in fact human before transforming, instead of just being an ordinary bug with a vivid imagination. What I mean by this is that the first translation gives the possibility that Gregor (or Gregory as the first translation puts forth) just woke up and was a bug. It doesn't have any explanation of where he was, so he could have been an above average sized bug all along but was just dreaming that he was a human, meanwhile the other three translations give us the information that he was in a bed, and that he is a big or enormous creature which is unlike a human.
However, I think the fourth translation is the most effective because of its added meaning of the word "vermin." As I said previously, vermin can also refer to people who are despicable or are causing problems for the rest of society. With this added definition, it gives the idea that Gregor is still human, but he has been disfigured or had his mind warped to the extent to that he can be called vermin. Also, by not telling the readers how Gregor transformed into the "bug," this translation adds to the mystery of it all.
This exercise shows how difficult it is to read translated texts because the translators must make sure they use the correct words to convey the tone that the author intended. This can be very difficult at times because a word in one language might not exist in another, so the translator must work around that but still keeping the intended tone or mood. With different diction and syntax in a sentence, the sentence can have different tones from other translations, but also, and more importantly, a drastically different tone from the original text. This reason is also why it can be important to read multiple different translations to better understand what the original author was trying to convey in the original form.
Second Translation: This translation is much more detailed. It lets us know that he was transformed into an enormous bug, which gives us a better understanding of how big he is, unlike the word giant. It also lets us know that he transformed into the bug in his bed, which lets us know that he didn't possibly sleep walk somewhere else while transforming, and also lets us know he was in fact a human before transforming.
Third Translation: This translation is very similar to the second translation, where the only difference, other than the use of "gigantic" instead of "enormous" when describing what he transformed into, is the placement of the words. This translation says he awoke in the morning first before saying he awoke from "uneasy" dreams, whereas the second translation says he awoke from "troubled" dreams before saying he awoke in the morning. This doesn't have any major literary effect other than just the change in structure, but does show how different translations not only get different words, but also the word placements.
Fourth Translation: The final translation is arguably the most descriptive translation of them all. This translation uses the word "agitated" when describing his dreams, which are much different from the other three, and also uses "monstrous vermin" when describing his transformation. The different diction when describing the transformation gives us a better understanding of what he transformed into. The dictionary definition for vermin is wild animals that are harmful to crops or carry disease, but another definition is a person who is deemed harmful to society. I thought this was interesting because all of the other translations give the sense that he transformed into a bug like a giant ant or something, meanwhile this translation gives he possibility that he was somehow disfigured and insane instead of actually turning into a different animal.
Each translation has different meanings and imagery behind them. While the first translation is barely descriptive at all, the last translation is much more descriptive, even though they were both translated from the same source text. The first translation's syntax and diction make it seem rushed, like he woke up very quickly and found he was no longer human. However, the other three translations gives more explanation or imagery to him waking up. Additionally, by including that he woke up in his bed, it gives us sound evidence that he was in fact human before transforming, instead of just being an ordinary bug with a vivid imagination. What I mean by this is that the first translation gives the possibility that Gregor (or Gregory as the first translation puts forth) just woke up and was a bug. It doesn't have any explanation of where he was, so he could have been an above average sized bug all along but was just dreaming that he was a human, meanwhile the other three translations give us the information that he was in a bed, and that he is a big or enormous creature which is unlike a human.
However, I think the fourth translation is the most effective because of its added meaning of the word "vermin." As I said previously, vermin can also refer to people who are despicable or are causing problems for the rest of society. With this added definition, it gives the idea that Gregor is still human, but he has been disfigured or had his mind warped to the extent to that he can be called vermin. Also, by not telling the readers how Gregor transformed into the "bug," this translation adds to the mystery of it all.
This exercise shows how difficult it is to read translated texts because the translators must make sure they use the correct words to convey the tone that the author intended. This can be very difficult at times because a word in one language might not exist in another, so the translator must work around that but still keeping the intended tone or mood. With different diction and syntax in a sentence, the sentence can have different tones from other translations, but also, and more importantly, a drastically different tone from the original text. This reason is also why it can be important to read multiple different translations to better understand what the original author was trying to convey in the original form.
I Like how you looked at the different diction in each translation that describe Gregor’s size and what that added or left out. I also liked how you focused on whether or not Gregor was human or a bug before the transformation, by focusing on the diction and sentence structure used in each translation. One thing I would add is the different translations so we can see what exactly you are discussing in the blog.
ReplyDeleteHey Alec! I liked how you talked about the diction for each translation! I didn't think about whether not Gregor was a human before the transformation and I really liked how you brought that aspect into your blog! I also enjoyed that you brought up how the sentence structure and how that made you feel about each translation! I also agree with Jon that it would've been easier to understand if you included the translation in your blog but overall great job!
ReplyDeleteAlec this was worded so wonderfully. I love your tone because it's very formal but easy to understand. In saying this, your observations were much more meaningful and useful than mine. Providing the definition of "vermin" was a great way to analyze the sentences under different circumstances. Also, I think it's insightful how you considered that certain words don't exist in certain languages. This is a point that greatly supports the notion on how common it is to lose certain aspects of a novel in translation.
ReplyDeleteWhats goodie Alec! I thought it was lit how you talked about the use of diction for each of the translations. It made it super easy to follow since you talked about the same thing for each translation. I also thought how it was hype how you talked about how different things may or may not have meanings in different languages. Overall really good and keep up the work brother
ReplyDeleteWhat is up Alec, your post this week essentially echoed the same points I made in mine, about the significance of diction and literary tone for each translation, and how this is significant to the way the text is translated. I thought you mentioned that point well in your final paragraphs, but I would disagree about the use of vermin as being the best option. You cite the denotation of the word, but I don't think that is what's important, as the connotation of the word is what sits with readers. Readers aren't going to google the definition of vermin upon reading. Other than that I think your points were all solid.
ReplyDelete