The Trial: A New Translation Based on the Restored Text
by Franz Kafka
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Book Summary Information
Author: Franz KafkaTranslator: Breon Mitchell
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); German (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Deckle Edge
Published: 1999-05-25
ISBN: 0805209999
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Schocken
Book Reviews of The Trial: A New Translation Based on the Restored Text
Book Review: "The Trial": A Translation Of Questionable Accuracy
Summary: 3 Stars
Mitchell's translation leaves a lot to be desired. It is evident that Mitchell tries to modernize the translation so as to make it more relevant to a current reading audience. Yet in doing this, he pays a great cost. The translation by the Muirs who are the most prolific translators of Kafka's work seems much more literal in its usage of the English language as a vehicle for reading Kafka's work. It is important to note that the Muirs knew Max Brod, who was the man who rescued most of Kafka's work after his untimely demise and brought it to the Muirs for translation.
To be specific, in some examples of the failure of Mitchell's translation to convey Kafka's literal meaning, the reader finds that the three main characters in the bank where Joseph K. worked are called the "President," the "Vice President" and the "COO." Yet when the Muirs translate the same positions, they call these people the "Manager," the "Assistant Manager" and the "Head Clerk" (Joseph K. is the Head Clerk at the bank). Clearly, it seems that the Muirs' translation of the positions is much more literal and accurate than Mitchell's.
Another example of what seems to be Mitchell's mistranslation of Kafka's work is his use of the word "shyster" to describe the lowest level of defense attorneys in the Court system. The Muirs use the term "petty" to describe the same set of attorneys. It is highly unlikely that Kafka, being a Jew, would have used the word "shyster," particularly considering the anti-semetic implications of the term. Rather the word "petty" seems to be a far more accurate translation of Kafka's true intention when writing the novel.
Finally, Mitchell's translation portrays Joseph K. as an obstreperous, hard- headed person that is bound and determined to thwart the Court's efforts at every turn. It seems much more likely that Kafka, as portrayed in the Muir's translation, was truly a very frustrated defendant in a Court system that was so existentially absurd as to not even allow the defendant access to the charge papers regarding the reason that the defendant was arrested in the first place. Nor does the Court system allow the defense attorney access to these document, nor even allow the defense attorney to be present in the room when the defendant is being questioned by the Court.
While it is clear that Mitchell understands the German language very well, his efforts to modernize the translation of Kafka's work is not true to form for Kafka and should be taken with a grain of salt as its accuracy in terms of the literacy of the translation is clearly in question.
The book is recommended to all readers who enjoy existential portrayals of the world and society. That part of Mitchell's translation clearly comes through. Anyone who wishes to understand the helplessness of even modern day defendants in our world wide Court systems will be enlightened by Kafka's novel. Clearly, Kafka, who was an attorney himself, is one of the greatest existential writers of all time and very well depicts the feeling of people who feel themselves different and misunderstood by general society.
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