When translating a foreign piece of text, words may be interpreted

differently. For example, the differences between the William Aaltonen and
Joachim Neugroschel translations of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka are
noticeable yet relatively minor. The first dissimilarity is when William Aaltonen
uses troubled to describe a dream that Gregor Samsa, the main character, had,
while in the Joachim Neugroschel translation, he uses agitated. Both words
mean quite different things. Agitated seems more severe and is sharp, whereas
troubled is softer and more intellectually inconveniencing. The second
noticeable difference is in the first sentence where William Aaltonen describes
Gregor Samsas transformation as into a giant bug, whereas Joachim
Neugroschel describes the transformation as into a monstrous vermin. The
difference between the two word choices is quite confounding, as the Aaltonen
translation seems to have a simpler, less vague word usage and the Neugroschel
translation seems to be more vague and more open to interpretation. The next
variation in word usage is where Aaltonen uses arched brown abdomen and
puny legs exhibiting an equivocal sense, and Neugroschel uses brown vaulted
belly and [his] legs, wretchedly thin, which displays imagery. However, the
roles are reversed when Aaltonen uses stiff domed belly, and Neugroschel uses
arching ridges. Lastly, in Aaltonens translation, he makes quivered wretchedly
sounds frightful, while the Neugroschel translation uses danced helplessly
which sounds slightly somber. The use of different structure is present too. A
subordinate clause is a clause that is dependent on a main clause. In the
Aaltonen translation, he uses Raising his head a little, as an introduction. In

Neugroschels translation, he embeds and when lifting his head slightly. Both
doing the job of getting the idea across, however Neugroschel conveys it more
smoothly. Joachim Neugroschel seems to like to use more exotic words such as
girth, agitated, and vermin, which display a more mystic tone. In William
Aaltonens translation, the word regiment is used. Upon researching the
definition of this word, it does not quite match up to what he might have tried to
use it as. Regiment seems to relate to militaristic terms. Upon considering the
possibilities, one could conclude that he could have meant a large number of
something. With these differences, it is effortless to see that even with the
simplicity of translating, there can be many variations and interpretations that can
mean similar things but give off different tones and images in your head.