The American Dream is quite a complex idea with many definitions, and I believe that an individual's definition derives from their place of origin. For a person born or raised in America, I think the American Dream is really about lifestyle. It is relaxed, but generally requires hard work to achieve. People who are living the American Dream aren't filthy rich, but have enough money to live without worrying about money. There is also an element of being around family and friends that contributes to the idea of the American Dream, maybe even living in a suburban neighborhood. For someone who was raised in a country other than America, I think the American Dream is more about opportunities and personally becoming better. People who immigrate to America to find the American Dream are seeking something they couldn't find in the country they were previously in. It is really all about freedom to do what they want.
In terms of money, wealth is having enough money to do whatever you want. This includes but is not limited to: having a car collection with whatever cars you want, being able to live wherever you want, vacationing when and where you want and buying SeaWorld just to shut it down (I just watched Blackfish). Wealth isn't something that is usually acquired over one generation, but takes many generations to acquire. Wealth is usually inherited and people who are wealthy generally have "old money".
I think that in general Americans' have a jealous attitude towards wealth and a confused attitude towards the poor. Wealthy Americans are envied upon all the time, especially when considering famous Americans. I think that when you have as much money as someone like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, people envy you without despise and they think positively of your good fortune. Oddly enough, I think that if you have a rich neighbor or friend who just bought a cool new car that you can't afford, you envy that person, but with hatred. Personally, my attitude towards wealth is mostly based on how it was acquired. If you worked hard to become wealthy then I approve, if it was inherited then there might be a little bit of hate. In terms of the poor, most Americans are sympathetic, sometimes even empathetic, but aren't sure how they can help. Usually the best way to help is by donating to reputable charities or working with nonprofit organizations like the Food Bank. For me problems arise when I see a homeless person on the side of the road. My first instinct is to help by giving them money, but then I think that giving money to this person isn't going to help them cause they could just blow it all something they don't need. Usually I just try to give them food or water to avoid that problem.
Currently I consider myself in a pretty good position to have a successful life. I've worked hard in school and in other activities and have learned many life lessons, which have helped me get into college. I'm going to Virginia Tech next fall to study computer engineering and ultimately want to be an engineer that helps to better the world. I'm not really sure how I'm going to do that, but I'll figure that out later. I'd also like to retire early and open a restaurant on the beach on Marco Island, but who knows if I'll want to do that in 40 years. I guess my American Dream is to be remembered as someone that had a positive influence on the lives of many people.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Translation Mutation
The four translations of Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.
Translation 1: As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
Of all of the translations, this one seems the most 'incorrect'. It is odd to say out loud because the syntax is rather unusual. This translation could use a few commas or have the sentence split into two. The language here is rather childish and seems as if it were to be said by a middle school student. The use of "gigantic insect" seems immature and is something my little sister would say.
Translation 2: Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
This translation seems like it would be from a doctor's notebook because the sentence is simple and to the point. There is not a lot of detail included here, just enough to describe the necessary points and it is easy to say out loud. This sentence is recalling an event rather than telling it as it happened.
Translation 3: When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
This translation is like the first in that it is very long and awkward to say aloud. It seems like it could have been split into two sentences after "one morning". This translation is quite descriptive and has a word choice that is more descriptive than the second translation. This translation seems like something you would find from a young adult or youth chapter book because it is complex, but not over the top.
Translation 4: One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Of all the translations, this is my favorite because I think it sounds the best. The use of commas help for the reader to make sense of this translation because it breaks of all of the ideas. The vocabulary here is the best of all the translations and the sentence is very descriptive. I also think the sentence sounds better when Gregor Samsa's name is mentioned in the middle of the sentence and not in the beginning.
Word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each translation affects the meaning quite a lot. From all four translations we get the basic message that Gregor woke up and found that he was a bug. But by using different words and different syntax each translation has it's own effect, giving the reader a different image about what is going on with Gregor. I think that syntax is the most effective at changing meaning of a sentence. At first I thought it would be word choice, but word choice only really changes context surrounding the sentence. Changing the format of a sentence is the most effective because it can change the sequence of events and how things happen.
This exercise brings up a few very important points about the difficulty of reading translated texts. For one, the word choice of the author cannot be analyzed as much and an English text because one word can be translated many different ways. Another point is that reading one translation of a text can have a completely different effect on a reader compared to another translation. Different translations effect the tone of a sentence by either changing it or enforcing it. If the translator does not understand the tone of the author, they could change the tone which ultimately effects how a reader interprets a text. Translation is very important especially in The Stranger because the first sentence, which is often argued about, has a big effect on the entire text. The first sentence of a text layouts a tone for the whole work, so it is important to get it right.
Translation 1: As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
Of all of the translations, this one seems the most 'incorrect'. It is odd to say out loud because the syntax is rather unusual. This translation could use a few commas or have the sentence split into two. The language here is rather childish and seems as if it were to be said by a middle school student. The use of "gigantic insect" seems immature and is something my little sister would say.
Translation 2: Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
This translation seems like it would be from a doctor's notebook because the sentence is simple and to the point. There is not a lot of detail included here, just enough to describe the necessary points and it is easy to say out loud. This sentence is recalling an event rather than telling it as it happened.
Translation 3: When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
This translation is like the first in that it is very long and awkward to say aloud. It seems like it could have been split into two sentences after "one morning". This translation is quite descriptive and has a word choice that is more descriptive than the second translation. This translation seems like something you would find from a young adult or youth chapter book because it is complex, but not over the top.
Translation 4: One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Of all the translations, this is my favorite because I think it sounds the best. The use of commas help for the reader to make sense of this translation because it breaks of all of the ideas. The vocabulary here is the best of all the translations and the sentence is very descriptive. I also think the sentence sounds better when Gregor Samsa's name is mentioned in the middle of the sentence and not in the beginning.
Word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each translation affects the meaning quite a lot. From all four translations we get the basic message that Gregor woke up and found that he was a bug. But by using different words and different syntax each translation has it's own effect, giving the reader a different image about what is going on with Gregor. I think that syntax is the most effective at changing meaning of a sentence. At first I thought it would be word choice, but word choice only really changes context surrounding the sentence. Changing the format of a sentence is the most effective because it can change the sequence of events and how things happen.
This exercise brings up a few very important points about the difficulty of reading translated texts. For one, the word choice of the author cannot be analyzed as much and an English text because one word can be translated many different ways. Another point is that reading one translation of a text can have a completely different effect on a reader compared to another translation. Different translations effect the tone of a sentence by either changing it or enforcing it. If the translator does not understand the tone of the author, they could change the tone which ultimately effects how a reader interprets a text. Translation is very important especially in The Stranger because the first sentence, which is often argued about, has a big effect on the entire text. The first sentence of a text layouts a tone for the whole work, so it is important to get it right.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)