Translations In global literature people often run into the situation of reading literature that has been translated. Translations vary from person to person depending on who translated the piece. William H. Gass’s piece, Reading Rilke introduces thirteen translations of a German sentence. Each translator has their own way of translating the original sentence making each have a different meaning almost every time. The translators use of word choice strongly impacts the meaning of each sentence. Reading translations is something many people enjoy doing, while others may disagree. Language is a beautiful and powerful sound and many authors use this to their advantage. They take the language they speak and turn it into music. In translations, this music may not sound as great as it did in the original piece, and may lose the power of words it once had. As the reader to Reading Rilke, one may not …show more content…
Each translator changes the tone of the same sentence with their word choice. For example, MacIntyre’s translation, “And supposing one of them took me suddenly to his heart...” and Garmey/Wilson’s translation, “And even if one suddenly held me to his heart...” both have a different tone due to the different verbs used (Gass 62). MacIntyre uses the words “took me suddenly” while Garmey/Wilson uses the words “suddenly held me” (Gass 62). MacIntyre’s verb choice gives of a more fast, grasping tone while Garmey/Wilson’s verb choice reveals a tone much more settle and serene. Many translators Gass references used the words, “presence” or “existence” for their sentences and