Question

question 7 of 10
read this passage:

as gregor samsa one morning from restless dreams
awoke, found he himself in his bed into an enormous
vermin transformed.

—dr. norman prinsky, trans., the metamorphosis
why is the literal, word - for - word translation of the
metamorphosis not a good version of the text?

a. the words are funny and give the reader a reason to laugh.

b. the words do not correctly reflect kafka’s intended meaning.

c. the words sound jumbled and are not easy to read.

d. the words are taken from old german and have no meaning.

Explanation:

To determine the answer, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The passage's content (Gregor turning into a vermin) is not meant to be funny, so this is incorrect.
• Option B: A literal, word - for - word translation may miss the author's (Kafka) intended meaning as translation involves more than just word - to - word conversion, like capturing tone, style, and underlying themes. This option is correct.
• Option C: While a literal translation might be less smooth, the main issue with a bad translation of a literary work like "The Metamorphosis" is not just readability but the loss of intended meaning. So this is not the best choice.
• Option D: The words from old German do have meaning, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

B. The words do not correctly reflect Kafka's intended meaning.