Lost In Translation

1. As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
1. Minimal punctuation, establishes surrounding events before main subject
2. Chooses to call them "uneasy dreams" instead of nightmares, resulting in a visual that is less fearful and more uncomfortable. Also, gigantic insect implies a massive size, far larger than that of a human.
3. Linear, no punctuation
4. Very straightforward, with little figurative language 
2. Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
1. Establishes identity, followed by circumstance. Seems to build towards the revelation of Gregory Samsa's circumstances.
2. Changes his name from Gregor to Gregory, resulting in the text possessing a more Anglo-Saxon feeling. Also, in calling Gregor a giant bug, there is a lot of room for interpretation as to the size of the insect.
3. Linear, minimal punctuation
4. Clear statement with little figurative language.
3.  When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
1. Follows the same basic syntax as the others, building towards the revelation of his transformation.
2. The choice of the word enormous conjures up an image of something of monstrous proportions.
3. Linear, minimal punctuation
4. One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
1. Chooses to establish the surrounding events, then the identity of the character, ending with the situation. Large usage of multiple clauses.
2. The term monstrous and vermin give no indication of size but instead conjure up grotesque images of terrifying creatures.
3. Heavy usage of punctuation to create an odd phrasing within the sentence.

How does the word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each affect meaning?

The different word choices within each selection define the impression the reader gets of the creature Samsa was transformed into. With selections 1 and 2 calling up ideas of a large beast, selection 3 creating the impression of some kind of giant that towers over its surroundings, and selection 4 giving no impressions on size, but instead on the grotesque appearance of the creature. Also, the varying usage of punctuation creates a sense of building anticipation in selections 1-3 but for section 4 it seems to follow more of a kind of chain of events.

Is one more effective than another? Why? 

I would argue that selection #3 is the most effective due to the impressions it leaves the reader with. Firstly, the image it creates of an enormous bug that towers over its surroundings is the most striking of all of the selections. Also, it maintains the linear nature of the selection (unlike selection #4) and preserves the original name of the character (unlike selection #2).

What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts? How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence? 

This exercise highlights how even though the same basic premise and themes can be maintained through slightly different translations, the ultimate effect on the reader changes heavily. This is illustrated in how the diction in selections 3 and 4 create a fearful tone by creating an image of a monster in the reader, selections 1 and 2 create one of passivity because of the underwhelming nature of the description of the creature.