The American Dreamed

What is the American Dream?

My definition of the American Dream, though i don't fully know where i got it, was a pretty simple cycle of life that we all aspire to fulfill as Americans. Grow up, get educated, get a job, get married, get a house and car, have kids, retire, and die. Essentially its a "fit the system" and "love this role" ideology that really serves to inspire normalcy in people. I never agreed with it since its such a hollow way to live, not changing your aspirations to defer from the norm in any way. I'm not sure where i got this notion though I'm sure it was through the media at some point in my life.

A lot of people define the American Dream as an aspiration to build from rags to riches and acquire "wealth" almost always being monetary wealth. Personally this is my definition of wealth as it is the American definition of wealth as well. Now there are many different ways to define wealth but in regards to the American Dream and its economic focus, this is how i would define it.

While i disagree with the economic notion of wealth it is apparent that American's view wealth as something to admire. Poverty is, while supported like a pitiful bottom to society through donations, seen as something undesirable and normally embarrassing. This is the whole of American society's view on poverty and wealth and doesn't necessarily reflect my own. Poverty is not something many people can control, most are likely born into it, while wealth is an equivalent birth-rite (this obviously has exceptions for both poverty and wealth). I honestly hate the divide between people that forms as a result of fiscal inequality and hate to label people based on their monetary ability. Though i do aspire to find myself economically sound in the future, i wouldn't be heartbroken if i had to move away and live my life in poverty, finding wealth in other forms.

How does translation change a text?

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

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

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

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

Original: Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.

My Analysis:

1)

• In this translation the diction worth noting the description of his dreams as uneasy, he found himself transformed, and he was a gigantic insect.
• The translator describes the scene "as" Samsa awoke, rather than in a chronological order.The translator also includes "in his bed" before stating giant insect.
• "gigantic""uneasy""transformed"
• nothing much other than word order in syntax
• none

2)

• diction worth noting change in: the author still uses the phrase uneasy dreams, uses the world giant bug.Uses the world changed instead of transformed.
• The shortest of all the translations, this one puts his awakening before the uneasy dreams.
• "uneasy""changed""giant""bug"
• shortest sentence of translation. Puts waking before uneasy dreams. 
• very to the point compared to others.

3)

• "Troubled dreams" "transformed in his bed into an enormous bug"
• The order of the events is like the first with his awakening from troubled dreams to find he had been transformed in his bed.
• "Troubled""Transformed""Enormous bug"
• longest translation, really explains each scene with rather powerful diction and the order of the scene is really captivating.
• none

4)

• "One morning" "agitated Dreams""transformed""monstrous vermin" very different and gruesome diction compared to the others.
• The most uniquely ordered of the translations, this one changes the order in which the scene is established to first establish both Sasma's dream awakening and his agitating dreams before actually  introducing Sasma himself.
• "Agitated""Transformed""Monstrous Vermin"
• Order of scene construction
• none.

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?

In the given translations, the diction, imagery, and syntax have very profound effects on the way the author seems to portray the scene. The tone completely changes when describing Sasma's transformation as a vermin rather than a bug, or, as gigantic rather than enormous. In the case of  bug or insect vs vermin, the connotation the reader gets from both is rather obvious. While bugs arent something you want to become normally, they dont necessarily carry such a negative connotation to the extent that vermin does. The reader assumes here that Sasma has become some terrible or grotesque rat versus the potential fly or cockroach the other translations apply. For this reason a translation like the 4th would certainly accomplish a more negative conveying of the scene than the other three. The same principle applies the authors use of diction when describing the dreams that Sasma awoke from. Whether uneasy, troubled, or agitated, the meaning changes in all 3 translations. 

This exercise is rather revealing in regards to difficult with understanding translated texts. All 4 of the translations gave a varying image in my head as the reader , and thus, would likely change how i percieved the rest of the scenes to follow as well. While some were more negative, others seemed to be purely more terrifying. For example, while the 1st translation seems to be a simply unfortunate incident in a childrens book, the 4 carries a horrible meaning of crisis as if  Sasma may be in real trouble as a monstrous vermin. This completely changes the way the reader is imagining Sasma's transformation in their head and thus any following scenes involving this transformation would be percieved differencly as well.

Wow, the power of "lost in translation" i guess? Or atleast completely altered in translation.

(Thanks for reading ;)