CHAPTER 1

ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS 
	
Excuse me, sir, but may I be of assistance? Ah, I see I have alarmed you. Do not be frightened by my beard: I am a lover of America. I noticed that you were looking for something; more than looking, in fact you seemed to be on a mission, and since I am both a native of this city and a speaker of your language, I thought I might offer you my services. (1 - 8)	Chiedo scusa, signore, posso esserle d’aiuto? Ah, vedo che l’ho allarmata. Non si faccia spaventare dalla mia barba: io amo l’America. Mi sembrava che stesse cercando qualcosa; anzi, più che cercando, lei pareva in missione, e dato che io sono nativo di questa città e parlo la sua lingua, ho pensato di offrirle i miei servigi.	The sentence “I ‘am a lover of America”, in the original version, gives more importance to the person who loves. Instead in the Italian version, it gives more importance to the action “to love”. Also in the sentences “I am […] a speaker” in the original version and “parlo” in the Italian version, the intelligent reader can notice that English language gives more importance to the subject who makes an action.	
Reason for choice: The quotation is interesting because is the first paragraph of the first chapter of the novel and the intelligent reader can, immediately, notice that emerges the topic of different culture meeting.	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
What did I think of Princeton? Well, the answer to that question requires a story. When I first arrived, I looked around me at the Gothic buildings – younger, I later learned, than many of the mosques of this city, but made through acid treatment and ingenious stonemasonry to look older – and thought, This is a dream come true. (Pag. 7, 4 – 9)	Cosa pensavo di Princeton? Bè, per rispondere a questa domanda devo raccontarle una storia. Appena arrivato mi guardai intorno e osservando gli edifici gotici – più recenti, scoprii in seguito, di molte moschee di questa città, ma antichizzati dai trattamenti a base di acidi e dal sapiente lavoro degli scalpellini – pensai, questo è un sogno diventato realtà.	•	First – appena: the english expression “first” focuses the reader’s attention to the fact that the Changez’s thought is related to his first journey in America. In the Italian version the expression “appena” is related to Changez’s thoughts in the moment he arrived in America.
•	To look older – antichizzati: the English expression “to look older” underlines the intent to give to the buildings an older appearance. Instead the Italian term “antichizzati” gives authority and to the buildings. 	
Reason for choice: This quotation is relevant because tells us Cangez’s first opinion about America.	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
Every fall, Princeton raised her. skirt for the corporate recruiters who came onto campus and –as you say in America- showed them some skin. The skin Princeton showed was good skin, of course –young, eloquent, and clever as can be- but even among all that skin, I knew in my senior year that I was something special. I was a perfect breast, if you will – tan, succulent, seemingly defiant of gravity – and I was confident of getting any job I wanted. (Pag. 9, 1 – 8)	Ogni autunno Princeton si sollevava la gonna per i reclutatori delle grandi aziende che arrivavano al campus e, come dite voi negli Stati Uniti, mostrava un po’ di pelle. La pelle mostrata da Princeton era una bella pelle, naturalmente, giovane, eloquente e quanto mai invitante, ma anche in mezzo a  tutta quella pelle, nel corso dell’ultimo anno mi resi conto di essere qualcosa di speciale. Ero un seno perfetto, se vuole, un seno abbronzato, succulento, apparentemente ignaro della forza di gravità, e confidavo di poter ottenere qualsiasi lavoro desiderassi.	•	Wanted – desiderassi: the English verb “wanted” is stronger than the Italian verb “desiderassi” because desire never be realized.	
Reason for choice: In the quotation the intelligent reader can notice the Changez’s mind changing. 	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
I fell silent. I am, as you can see, normally quite happy to chat, but in that moment I did not know what to say. I watched him watch me , trying to understand what he was looking for. He glanced down at my resume, which was lying between us on the table, and then back up again. His eyes were cold, a pale blue, and judgmental, not in the way that word is normally used, but in the sense of being professionally appraising, like a jeweler’s when he inspects out of curiosity a diamond he intends neither to buy nor to sell. (Pag. 11, 17 – 25)	Ammutolii. Di solito, come lei può vedere, parlo volentieri, ma in quel momento non sapevo cosa dire. Lo guardai guardarmi, tentando di capire cosa stava cercando. Lui abbassò gli occhi sul mio libretto, posato sul tavolo tra noi, e poi alzò di nuovo lo sguardo. I suoi occhi erano freddi, azzurri e sentenziosi, non nel senso in cui viene solitamente usata la parola, ma nel senso di qualcuno abituato per mestiere a giudicare, come un gioielliere quando esamina per curiosità un diamante che non intende né comprare né vendere.	•	Looking for – cercando: the italian version “cercando” is stronger than the English version, and it is strictly connected to the role of the analyst of the Underwood Samson.
•	Judgmental – sentenziosi: in this two expression the italian version uses a authoritative term. Instead the English term creates the image of a judge in the reader’s mind. 	
Reason for choice: The quotation describe an American, Jim, saw through Changez’eyes. So jim is described through the eyes of a different culture.	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
Ah, out tea has arrived! Do not look so suspicious. I assure you, sir, nothing untoward will happen to you, not even a runny stomach. After all, it is not as if it has been poisoned. (Pag. 16, 9 – 12)	Ah, è arrivato il nostro tè! Non abbia quell’aria diffidente. Le assicuro, signore, che non corre alcun rischio, neanche quello di uno stomaco in subbuglio. Dopotutto non è mica avvelenato.	•	Runny - subbuglio: the English expression “runny” reminds to the movement of the stomach. Instead “subbuglio” recalls the sound of the stomach.	
Reason for choice: In this quotation are underlined stereotypes about Pakistani society. 	

CHAPTER 2

ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
Do you see those girls, walking there, in jeans speckled with paint? Yes, they are attractive. And how different they look from the women of that family sitting at the table besides ours, in their traditional dress. The National College of Arts is not far – it is, as a matter of fact, only around the corner – and its students often come here for a cup of tea, just as we are doing now. I see one in particular has caught your eye; she is indeed beauty. Tell me, sir, have you left behind a love – male or female, I do not presume to know your preference, although the intensity of your gaze suggests the latter – in your homeland? (Pag. 21, 1 – 12)	Vede quelle ragazze che camminano laggiù, in jeans chiazzati di vernice? Si, sono davvero attraenti. E che aspetto diverso dalle donne della famiglia seduta al tavolo accanto al nostro, nei loro abiti tradizionali. Il National College of Arts non è lontano, anzi, si può dire che sia dietro l’angolo, e le studentesse spesso vengono qui a prendere un tè, proprio come stiamo facendo noi. Vedo che una in particolare ha catturato il suo sguardo; in effetti è una bellezza. Mi dica, signore, si è lasciato alla spalle un amore – maschio o femmina, non pretendo di conoscere le sue preferenze, anche se l’intensità del suo sguardo pare suggerire la seconda eventualità – nella sua terra natale.	•	Caught – catturato: in the Italian version, the expression “catturato” crates an image of imprisonment. Instead the English expression “caught” indicates only the possession of the attention. 
•	Homeland – terra natale: the term “homeland” refers to the place the subject feels as his land, it may not even be born. Instead the Italian expression “terra natale” is strictly connected to the place where the subject was born.	
Reason for choice: The quotation is interesting because is present the topic of different culture (through the girl’s clothes: western jeans versus traditional dress).	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
Moreover, among the many rules that govern the bazaars of Lahore is this: if a woman is harassed by a man, she has the right to appeal to the brotherly instincts of the mob, and the mob is known to beat men who annoy their sisters. (Pag. 28, 8 – 12)	Inoltre, una delle molte regole che governano i bazar di Lahore è questa: se una donna viene molestata da un uomo, ha il diritto di appellarsi agli istinti fraterni della folla, e si sa che la folla picchia a sangue gli uomini che infastidiscono le sue sorelle.	•	To beat – picchia a sangue: the expression “picchia a sangue” creates a cruel and realistic image in the reader’s mind  as opposed to the English expression “to beat”.	
Reason for choice: The quotation is important because it refers about the relationship between brother and sister in the eastern culture.	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
But I did none of this things. Instead, I blushed and said, “Hello” She smiled – with uncharacteristic shyness, it seemed to med – and replied, “Hi” I nodded, tried to think of something else to say, failed, and said, “Hello”, again. As soon as I had done this, I wanted to disappear; I knew I sounded unbelievably foolish. She started to laugh, her small breasts bouncing, and said, “I’m going for a swim” but then, as she walked away, she half – turned and added, “you want to come?” (Pag. 30, 1 – 9)	Ma non feci nessuna di queste cose. Invece arossii e dissi: “ciao”. Lei sorrise, con insolita timidezza, mi parve, e disse: “ciao”. Io annuii, cercai qualcos’altro da dire, non ci riuscii e dissi di nuovo: “ciao”. Subito dopo avrei voluto sprofondare; sapevo di apparire incredibilmente sciocco. Lei scoppiò a ridere, i piccoli seni sussultanti, e disse: “vado a fare il bagno”. Ma poi, mentre si allontanava, si voltò e aggiunse; “ vieni anche tu?” 	•	Disappear – sprofondare: both expressions create an imagine in the reader’s mind. The English one makes him disappear like the dust. The Italian one makes his disappear as if he had been absorbed by the sand.	
Reason for choice: The intelligent reader understands that the difficulties of communication between different genres (male and female) doesn’t depend on cultural difference.	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
It is remarkable, I must say, how being in Pakistan heightens one’s sensitivity to the sight of a woman’s body. Do you not agree? That bearded man – who even now, sir, continues from time to time to attract your wary gaze – is himself unable to stop glancing over his shoulder at those girls, fifty yards away from him. (Pag. 31 18 – 23)	È straordinario, devo dire, come il fatto di trovarsi in Pakistan acuisca la sensibilità alla vista del corpo femminile. Non è d’accordo? Anche quell’uomo barbuto, che ancora adesso, signore, attira di tanto in tanto il suo sguardo circospetto, non riesce a impedirsi di lanciare occhiate alle ragazze a cinquanta metri da lui.	•	Remarkable – straordinario: the English term “remarkable” focuses the image of “mark something” in the reader’s mind, it underlines the unusual of the event. The Italian term “straordinario” indicates something that goes out of “ordinary”. 	
Reason for choice: The quotation is important because the author underlines the body conception in Pakistani society.  	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
I shrugged. I often did miss home, but in that moment I was content to be where I was. She took out her notebook – it was bound with soft, orange leather; I had previously seen her scribbling in it during moments of repose – and passing it to me with a pencil said , “ what does your writing look like?” I said, “Urdu is similar to Arabic, but we have more letters.” She said, “show me,” and so I did. “it’s beautiful,”she said, meeting my eyes. “what’s it mean?” “this is your name,” I replied, “and this, underneath, is mine”. (Pag.33 9 – 18)	Feci spallucce. Sentivo spesso la mancanza di casa, ma in quel momento ero contento di essere dov’ero. Lei tirò fuori il suo taccuino rilegato in morbido cuoio arancione. L’avevo già vista scribacchiare qualcosa nei momenti di riposo, e ora, passandomelo insieme a una matita, mi disse: “com’è la vostra scrittura?” le dissi che l’urdu è simile all’arabo, solo che ci sono più lettere. “fammi vedere”, disse, e così feci. “ E’ bello, - osservò incrociando il mio sguardo. – Cosa vuol dire?” Le dissi che quello sopra era il suo nome, e quello sotto il mio. 	•	Meeting – incrociando: the Italian expression “incrociando” rather the original one “meeting” creates the image of a collision in the reader’s mind.  	
Reason for choice: Erica – America meets a different language.	

CHAPETR 3

ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
I hope you will not mind my saying so, but the frequency and purposefulness with which you glanced about – a steady tick-tick-tick seeming to beat in your hands as you move your gaze from one point to the next – brings to mind the beaviour of an animal that has ventured too far from its lair and is now, in unfamiliar surroundings, uncertain whether it is predator or prey! Come relinquish your foreigner’s sense of being watched (Pag. 37, 5 – 14)	Non vorrei che se ne risentisse, ma la frequenza e la determinazione con cui si guarda intorno, come se nella sua testa pulsasse un regolare tic tac mentre sposta lo sguardo da un punto all’altro, mi fa pesare a un animale che si è avventurato troppo lontano dalla tana e non sa più, in un ambiente sconosciuto, se è un predatore o una preda. Andiamo, metta da parte la sensazione di essere osservato, tipica dello straniero.	•	Glanced – guarda: the original version “glanced” remind to the action of move the eyes rapidly from one thing  to another. The term “guarda” in the Italian version is weaker than in English, because it refers only to the action to look something.	
Reason for choice: The quotation is important because it shows the foreigner’s feelings. 	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
I was immediately a New Yorker. What? My voice is rising? You are right; I tend to become sentimental when I think of that city. It still occupies a place of great fondness in my heart. (Pag. 39, 4 – 7)	Mi ritrovai ad essere immediatamente newyorkese. Come? Sto alzando la voce? Ha ragione; divento sentimentale quando penso a quella città. Suscita ancora una grande tenerezza nel mio cuore. 	•	Occupies – suscita: in the English version the term refers about a thing which is still present in his heart. The term “suscita” refers about a thing placing outside of the heart but it is still able to cause emotions in him. 	
Reason for choice: The quotation reflects Changez’s feelings to talk about America.	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
Their offices were perched on the forty – first and forty – second floors of a building in midtown – higher than any two structures here in Lahore would be if they were stacked one atop the other – and while I had previously flown in airplanes and visited the Himalayas,
nothing had prepared me for the drama, the power of the view from their lobby. This, I realized, was another world from Pakistan; supporting my feet were the achievements of the most technologically advanced civilization our species had ever known. (Pag. 39, 13 – 22)	I loro uffici erano appollaiati al quarantunesimo e quarantaduesimo piano di un grattacielo di Midtown, più in alto di dove arriverebbero due palazzi di Lahore messi uno sull’altro, e benché avessi in precedenza preso l’aereo e visitato l’Himalaya, niente mi aveva preparato alla drammaticità, alla potenza della vista del loro salone. Era veramente un altro mondo rispetto al Pakistan; a sostenere i miei piedi erano i prodotti delle civiltà più tecnologicamente avanzata che la nostra specie avesse mai conosciuto.	•	Building – grattacielo: the Italian word “grattacielo” represent in the reader’s mind something is so high to be able to touch the sky. The English word “building” used to indicate any constructions built with a roof and walls.	
Reason for choice: The paragraph is interesting because the intelligent reader can notice the cultural differences also in the buildings that the two societies built.	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
I have subsequently wondered why my mannerism so appealed to my senior colleagues. Perhaps it was my speech: like Pakistan, America is, after all, a former English colony, and it stands to reason, therefore that an Anglicized accent may in your country continue to be associated with wealth and power, just as is in mine. (Pag. 48, 13 – 18)	In seguito mi sono domandato perché i miei modi colpivano tanto i colleghi più anziani. Forse era per come parlavo: dopotutto anche gli Stati Uniti sono, come il Pakistan, una ex colonia inglese, e non è quindi così ingiustificato se un accento anglicizzato nel vostro paese continua ad essere associato alla ricchezza e al potere, come nel mio.	•	America – Stati Uniti: the original version using the word “America” talks about all the mainland, the Italian version using the term “Stati Uniti” refers only about the USA.	
Reason for choice: The author highlights the different cultures meeting and the different social classes meeting.	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS	
But why do you recoil? Ah yes, this beggar is a particularly unfortunate fellow. One can only wonder what series of accidents could have left him so thoroughly disfigured. He draws close to you because you are a foreigner. Will you give him something? No? very wise; it is far better to donate to charities that address the causes of poverty rather than to him, a creature who is merely its symptom. What am I doing? I am handing him a few rupees – misguidedly, of course, and out of habit. There, he offers us his prayers for our well – being; now he is on his way. (Pag. 47 1 – 11)  	Ma perché si ritrae? Ah si, questo mendicante è un tipo davvero sfortunato. C’è da chiedersi che sorta di incidente possa averlo sfigurato così. Le viene vicino perché lei è uno straniero. Vuole dargli qualcosa? No? Molto saggio; non bisognerebbe incoraggiare l’accantonaggio, e sì, ha ragione, è molto meglio fare una donazione a un’associazione caritatevole che si occupa delle cause della povertà piuttosto che a lui, una creatura che ne è soltanto un sintomo. Cosa sto facendo? Gli sto dando qualche rupia, erroneamente, certo, e per pura abitudine. Ecco , ci sta augurando ogni bene, e dice che pregherà per noi; e ora se ne va. 	•	Symptom – sintomo: The English word "symptom" indicates only be a symbol of something, is based on the medical language and does not carry negative meanings; in the Italian version the word "sintomo" has instead a negative connotation.
•	Offers – augurando: ”offers” in the original version seems that the creature shares something material, in the Italian version he gives an abstract wish.  	
Reason for choice: In the quotation emerges the different way to help of two different cultures.	

CHAPTER 4

ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
It was a testament to the open-mindedness and – that overused word – cosmopolitan nature of NY in those days that I felt completely comfortable on the subway in this attire
	È una conferma dell'apertura mentale e della natura cosmpolita – che parola abusata – di New York in quei giorni il fatto che mi sentissi del tutto a mio agio in metropolitana vestito in quel modo
	What connects the two quotes is linguistically expressed by words like cosmopolitan, comfortable”. However, there 's a difference between first verbs in sentences: in English, the novelist uses “was” while in Italian version “was” is substituted with “è”: English version suggests that Changez have already felt his discomfort with America.
	
Reason for choice: The  quote provides an example of Changez's (Pakistani) condition in New York, a multicultural city.	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
Indeed, in our poetry and folk songs intoxication occupies a recurring role as a facilitator of love and spiritual enlightenment. What? Is it not a sin? Yes, it certainly is – and so, for the matter, is coveting thy neighbour’s wife. I see you smile; we understand one another, then	Tra l’altro nella nostra poesia e nei nostri canti popolari l’intossicazione occupa un ruolo ricorrente come promotrice dell’amore e dell’illuminazione spirituale. Cosa? Se è un peccato? Certo che lo è, del resto lo è anche desiderare la moglie del tuo vicino. Vedo che sorride; dunque ci intendiamo	The term " facilitator " to " promoter " , the function is then expanded : from facilitating love and religion become their main source . The value of love and faith is lowered compared to how it was previously understood
The final part of the quote in English version tends to a direct comparison between narrator and silent interlocutor; in Italian is lost and becomes only an association between peers who share the same opinion.
	
Reason for choice: Different cultures meeting and different religions meeting 	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
[...] she held my hand, said hello, and then, still holding my hand, added approvingly to Erica, "Very nice." "Behave, Mom," Erica replied	(…) mi strinse la mano con un ciao, poi, senza lasciarmi la mano, si rivolse ad Erica con un tono di approvazione: “Molto carino”, disse. “Cerca di contenerti, mamma”, replicò Erica	In the Italian version , the greeting is placed on an emotional level, lower than the English version the verb, whose function is to specify the action, disappear.
The expression “cerca di contenerti" is a translation of the word " Behave ": the figure of the mother takes in the English version, almost dependent on her daughter, seems to being to the constat research of Erica's approval who does not arrive,  as you can see by the brevity sentences of Erica.
	
Reason for choice: Relationship with family, different social classes meeting, different genders meeting (male and female 	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
In the weeks that followed, she did invite me to meet her on a number of occasions. But unlike that first night – when we were together in her room and in the taxi – we were never again alone	Nelle settimane seguenti mi invitò in svariate occasioni a uscire con lei. Ma a differenza di quella prima serata in cui eravamo stati insieme in camera sua e in taxi, non ci trovammo più da soli	In the original version, the expression number of occasions refers to a defined number of calls from Erica while the Italian version translated as varied, which implies an undefined numer of calls: that diversity makes the English version of the character Changez more rational and controlled, he remembers every detail in order, even if this is a love affair, a situation where instinct is usually prevailed over reason.	
Reason for choice: Relationship between Erica and Changez	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
That was all she said, and she said it in a normal, if quiet, voice. But I glimpsed again – even more clearly than before – the crack inside her; it evoked in me an almost familiar tenderness	Fu tutto ciò che disse, e lo disse in un tono normale, anche se molto pacato. Ma di nuovo mi balenò davanti, e stavolta in modo ancora più vivido, quell'incrinatura dentro di lei; suscitava in me una tenerezza quasi fraterna	The word crack is translated incrinatura , even if the correct translation is crepa. The original version of Mohsin Hamid and translation evoke an image of something, or someone, that breaks : break inside Erica, in the original version, is deep, it penetrates even to corrode her personality while in the Italian translation seems that the break is something superficial, something that does not ruin Erica , something that does not change the view that Changez has of his love.	
Reason for choice: Erica and Changez relationship	

CHAPTER 5

ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
Observe, sir: bats have begun to appear in the air above this square. Creepy, you say?	Guardi, signore: sono comparsi dei pipistrelli nell’aria sopra questa piazza. Le danno i brividi, dice?	The American's reaction to changes in the two versions of the text, although it is both related to fear. In the English version , in fact, Changez uses the term creepy : it refers to a conditioned fear in the mind while the term "shivering" relates to a physical reaction.	
Reason for choice: Different relationship with nature. Changez draws the attention on the American	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
When I arrived in the Philippines at the start of my first Underwood Samson assignment, I was terribly excited. We had flown first class, and I will never forget the feeling of reclining in my seat, clad in my suit, as I was served champagne by an attractive and – yes, I was indeed so brazen as to allow myself to believe – flirtatious flight attendant	Quando giunsi nelle Filippine all'inizio del mio primo incarico per la Underwood Samson, ero terribilmente esaltato. Avevamo volato in prima classe, e non dimenticherò mai la sensazione di starmene comodamente adagiato sul mio sedile reclinabile, nel mio impeccabile abito, a farmi servire champagne da una hostess attraente e... sì, avevo la faccia tosta di crederlo... civettuola	The expression starmene comodamente adagiato is present only in Italian translation; the translator wants to highlight the wealthy lifestyle of Changez, probably to better make the drastic change that will take place a little later with the collapse of the Twin Towers: Changez will become a potential terrorist, an enemy because he is foreigner.	
Reason for choice: Changez is pleased with his new life	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
We had not met before – of that I was virtually certain – and in a few minutes we would probably never see one another again. But his dislike was so obvious, so intimate, that it got under my skin	Non ci eravamo mai incontrati prima, di questo ero praticamente certo, e ancora qualche minute e con ogni probabilità non ci saremmo mai più rivisti. Ma la sua antipatia per me era così ovvia, così viscerale, che mi colpì profondamente	The original version omits the expression "for me". In the Italian version the expression " for me " shows that it is only Changez to notice and understand the attitude of the Phillipines, while in the original version Changez suggests that any other person who had seen the scene could understand.	
Reason for choice: Changez admits his foreigner condition	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
I looked at him – at his fair and light eyes and, most of all, his oblivious immersion in the minutiae of our work – and thought, you are so foreign. I felt that moment much closer to the Filipino driver than to him; I felt I was play-acting when in reality I ought to be making my way home, like the people on the street outside	Lo guardai, I capelli biondi e gli occhi chiari, e soprattutto la sua assoluta dedizione alle minuzie del nostro lavoro, e pensai: come sei straniero. In quel momento mi sentivo molto più vicino al conducente filippino che a lui; mi sentivo come uno che recita una parte, quando in realtà avrei dovuto vivere la mia vita a casa mia, come la gente per strada là fuori	Oblivious immersion - absolute dedication: the English version shows the concentration and attention to the task, while the Italian version also implies membership passion.
I felt I was play- acting - I felt like one who plays a part: while in the original version of the text, Changez admits to feeling an actor playing a part in the Italian version is compared to an actor , a person other than oneself that plays a part , thus highlighting the sense of strangeness experienced by him in that moment.	
Reason for choice: Changez's foreigner condition	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
I stared as one – and then the other – of the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center collapsed. And then I smiled. Yes, despicable as it may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased	Vidi crollare prima una e poi l'altra delle torri gemelle del World Trade Center di New York. E allora sorrisi. Sì, per quanto possa apparire deprecabile, la mia prima reazione fu di notevole compiacimento	In the Italian translation, the parenthetical sentence is not present: this lack suggests the translator's will to make more discursive and less fragmented one of the key events of the novel. Besides , initial implies that the reaction has been extended over time while the Italian translation  prima makes time more defined when Changez feels these emotions.	
Reason for choice: This period reminds me to one of novel's themes: Changez identity crisis.	

CHAPTER 6

ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
You hesitate, sir; I did not mean to put you on the spot. If you are not ready to reveal your purpose in travelling here – your demeanor all but precludes the possibility that you are a tourist wandering aimlessly through this part of the world – then I will not insist	Lei esita, signore, non intendevo metterla alle strette. Se non si sente ancora pronto a rivelare il proposito che l’ha condotta qui… il suo contegno mi porta a escludere l’eventualità che lei sia un turista che vaga senza scopo per questa parte del mondo, non insisterò	The Italian version of the text reveals to the reader that, according to the American, Changez is located in Lahore for a reason: the journey seems to be dependent the purpose to be achieved. 
In the English version, Changez words are ambiguous and do not show the military look, the order that the US intends to complete.	
Reason for choice: Changez focuses the reader's attention to the American interviewer	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
I thought in that moment that she looked older, more elegant; she had an element of that beauty which only age can confer upon a woman, and I imagined I was catching a glimpse of the Erica she would one day become. Truly, I thought, she is an empress-in-waiting.	In quel momento pensai che sembrava più matura, più elegante; aveva quella bellezza che solo l’età conferisce a una donna, e mi parve di cogliere un barlume di quel che Erica sarebbe un giorno diventata. È davvero, pensai, un’erede al trono	The beauty of Erica by Changez is perceived differently in the two versions of the text. In the English version , Changez imagine how Erica could become , over the years, so this is an active action Changez - he is to build a picture of how Erica will become. In the Italian translation , on the other hand , in Changez " seems " to seize the future look like Erica : its action is passive, and is the image of Erica to show up to Changez.	
Reason for choice: Erica's future by Changez's side	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
I suspect I looked alarmed because she smiled and added, “It’s not that bad. I mean, I’m eating fine. I haven’t lost it. But I feel haunted, you know?	Presumo di aver assunto un’espressione allarmata, perchè lei sorrise e aggiunse: “Non va così male. Voglio dire, non ho smesso di mangiare. Questo no. Però sono ossessionata	The sentence you know ( = mi capisci? ) Is omitted in the Italian translation . Its function in the original version of the text appears to be to bind to Changez 's feelings Erica ; also suggests that Erica needs a point of reference, a person who understands and support during this difficult time . His attitude towards Changez might be opening . Omitting this expression, Changez is totally excluded from the feelings of Erica: its just becomes a statement in which he reveals his feelings , and is not an invitation to Changez to share them. The Italian translation thus emphasizes the closure of Erica in itself.	
Reason for choice: Erica confesses her feelings to Changez	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
I knew bits and pieces of their story from before; that night I received it whole. Something of it seemed familiar to me; later I would realize what seemed familiar was the emotion with which she spoke, an emotion similar to that which she evoked in me	Conoscevo già la loro storia a spizzichi e bocconi; quella sera me la raccontò tutta. Aveva per me qualcosa di familiare; in seguito avrei capito che a essermi familiare era l'emozione con cui parlava, un'emozione simile a quella che lei suscitava in me
	The continued use of imperfect verbs instead of the past simple (passato remoto) , suggests the willi to Mohsin Hamid to make the relationship between Changez and Erica as a relationship about to end , as evidenced by the finite time that the verbs indicate.
	
Reason for choice: Changez reaction when he speaks with Erica	
ORIGINAL VERSION	ITALIAN VERSION	COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS	
I discovered that the best way of doing this was to come close to touching her – to rest my hand on a table, say, as near as possible to hers without actually making contact – and then to wait for her to become aware of my physical presence, at which point she would shake her heas as if waking up from a dream and bridge the gap between us with a small caress	Scoprii che il modo migliore di farlo era arrivare quasi a toccarla, ad esempio posando la mano sul tavolo il più possibile vicino a lei ma senza neppure sfiorarla, e poi aspettare che si accorgesse della mia presenza fisica, scuotesse la testa come risvegliandosi da un sogno e colmasse il varco tra noi con una lieve carezza
	The expression used in English version conveys the desire of contact between the hands of Erica and Changez as the need for a connection between the two : the term bridge shows the distance between the two characters , as well as the presence of an obstacle that must be overcome , in fact , with the construction of a bridge ( this element highlights the difficulty in establishing a link - contact between the two ) . In the Italian version , instead , is used to fill the verb , which presupposes the presence between the two characters of a vacuum and , even better , the absence of an obstacle to overcome . The contact between the two must be done so by bringing into play a part of himself that has to bridge the distance between them.	
Reason for choice: Reason for choice: Changez consoles Erica	

CHAPTER 7

Original text (English)	Italian translation	
I ignored as best I could the rumors I overheard at the Pak-Punjab Deli: Pakistani cabdrivers were being beaten to within an inch of their lives;  the FBI was raiding mosques, shops, and even people’s houses; Muslim men were disappearing, perhaps into shadowy detention centers for  questioning or worse. I reasoned that these stories were mostly untrue; the few with some basis in fact were almost certainly being  exaggerated; and besides, those rare cases of abuse that regrettably did transpire were unlikely ever to affect me because such things  invariably happened, in America as in all countries, to the hapless poor, not to Princeton graduates earning eighty thousand dollars a year.	Ignorai per quanto potevo le voci che giravano al Pak – Punjab Deli: tassisti Pakistani quasi ammazzati di botte; incursioni del Fbi nelle moschee, nei negozi, addirittura nelle case private; uomini musulmani che sparivano, forse in centri di detenzione segreti per essere interrogati o peggio. Quelle storie erano perlopiù false, mi dicevo; se anche avevano qualche fondamento, di certo venivano gonfiate; inoltre era improbabile che quei rari casi di violenze che purtroppo non si potevano negare arrivassero a toccare me, perché negli Stati Uniti, come in qualunque paese, cose come quelle accadevano regolarmente ai poveri indifesi, non ai laureati di Princeton con uno stipendio di ottantamila dollari all’anno.	In the original version the quotation is characterized by the use of an accumulative syntax, which creates a climax of fear. Besides the use of the verbal style and the use of the past progressive give contemporary and credibility to the quotation. Instead in the Italian version the nominal style breaks  the contemporary of the quotation. Moreover the nominal style makes Changez’ s desire to convince himself clear to the reader.	
Reason for Choice: The quotation is interesting because the intelligent reader notices some relevant themes:  
-	Different culture meeting;
-	 difference between social classes. 	
Analysis: The reader can notice important themes in the quotation like the theme of the relationship between eastern and western culture after the terroristic attack. In particular the quotation shows the American’s reaction against the Pakistani. The American’s cruel behavior is highlighted through the sentence: “Pakistani cabdrivers were being beaten to within an inch of their lives;  the FBI was raiding mosques, shops, and even people’s houses; Muslim men were disappearing, perhaps into shadowy detention centers for  questioning or worse”. Besides the quote underlines Changez‘ s thought and feelings in which compares the theme of the difference between social classes; in fact he says: “ I reasoned […]ever to affect me because such things  invariably happened, in America as in all countries, to the hapless poor, not to Princeton graduates earning eighty thousand dollars a year”.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
America was gripped by a growing and self-righteous rage in those weeks of September and October as I cavorted about with Erica; the mighty host I had
expected of your country was duly raised and dispatched—but homeward, towards my family in Pakistan.	In quelle settimane di settembre e ottobre, mentre io me ne andavo a zonzo con Erica, gli Stati Uniti erano in preda a una rabbia crescente e compiaciuta; la possente armata che mi aspettavo del vostro paese venne radunata e spedita al fronte, ma in direzione di casa mia, della mia famiglia in Pakistan.	In the original version rather the Italian version is underlined the behavior of America, in fact it takes place in the first part of the quotation. Besides the use of the verb “raised” creates the image of something is put up in the reader’s mind.	
Reason for Choice: The quotation is relevant because in it emerges the theme of stereotypes.	
Analysis: In these few lines emerge the theme of stereotype, but in this case a Pakistani stereotype about America. The sentence : “I had expected of your country” underlines Changez’s sterotype about the US Army.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
Focus on the fundamentals. This was Underwood Samson’s guiding principle, drilled into us since our first day at work. It mandated a single-minded attention to financial detail, teasing out the true nature of those drivers that determine an asset’s value. 	Concentrati sui fondamenti. Era il principio guida della Underwood Samson, inculcato dentro di noi fin dal primo giorno di lavoro. Significava prestare attenzione esclusivamente all’aspetto finanziario, senza preoccuparsi della vera natura degli indicatori che determinavano il valore di una risorsa. 	The original version uses verbs like “drilled” (taken from the military field), and “focus”. These verbs makes the importance of the fundamentals clear on the reader’s eyes.   In the Italian version these verb have a weaker meaning.	
Reason for Choice: The quotation in interesting because it refers about the fundamentals. 	
Analysis: In this quotation the theme of fundamentals compares for the first time. Usually people associate a religious connotation to the word fundamental. In this particular case fundamentals are related to the economic. Anyway  fundamentals of economic have also a bad connotation. 	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
I did, however, tell myself that I had overreacted, that there was nothing I could do, and that all these world events were playing out on a stage of no relevance to my personal life. But I remained aware of the embers glowing within me, and that day I found it difficult to concentrate on the pursuit—at which I was normally so capable—of fundamentals.	Tuttavia mi dissi che avevo avuto una reazione esagerata, che non ci potevo fare niente, e che gli avvenimenti internazionali non avevano nulla a che fare con la mia vita personale. Ma continuavo a sentire le braci che mi bruciavano dentro, e contrariamente al solito quel giorno ebbi difficoltà a concentrarmi sui fondamenti.	In the original version  the expression “were playing out on a stage…” creates the image of this event that plays on stage in the reader’s mind. 	
Reason for Choice: the quotation reflects Changez’s feelings.	
Analysis: Changez tries to alienate himself from these events. So  he seek justification about what America was doing. The reader can observe Changez’s feeling in the sentences: “I did, however, tell myself that I had overreacted, that there was nothing I could do, and that all these world events were playing out on a stage of no relevance to my personal life”.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
I can still recall her muscularity, made more pronounced by her gauntness, and the near-inanimate smoothness and coolness of her flesh as she leaned back and exposed to my touch her breasts.	Ricordo ancora la sua muscolatura, resa più spiccata dall’estrema magrezza, e la levigata, quasi artificiale freschezza della sua pelle quando si inarcò all’indietro offrendomi il seno.	The English language is more figurative than the Italian one. Thanks to the use of word and expressions like “pronounced” , “near –inanimate” and “exposed to my touch” the original version creates the image of the situation described in the reader’s mind.	
Reason for Choice: The quote is interesting because in it compares the theme of the conception of the body.	
Analysis: These few lines focus on the breaking of stereotype about the conception of the body in the eastern society. In fact Changez, who represents eastern culture, describes Erica’s body without shame. 	

CHAPTER 8

Original text (English)	Italian translation	
I observe, sir, that there continues to be something about our waiter that puts you ill at ease. I will admit that he is an intimidating chap, larger even than you are. But the hardness of his weathered face can readily be accounted for: he hails from our
mountainous northwest, where life is far from easy. And if you should sense that he has taken a disliking to you, I would ask you to be so kind as to ignore it; his tribe merely spans both sides of our border with neighboring Afghanistan, and has suffered during offensives conducted by your countrymen.	Vedo, signore, che qualcosa nel nostro cameriere continua a metterla a disagio. Ammetto che è un tipo minaccioso, ancora più grosso di lei. Ma non bisogna dar peso alla durezza del suo volto segnato dalle intemperie: viene dalla regione montagnosa nordoccidentale, dove la vita è molto dura. E anche se ha l’impressione di non piacergli, la prego di avere la gentilezza di far finta di niente; la sua tribù vive al confine con l’Afghanistan e ha sofferto nelle offensive condotte dai vostri compatrioti.	In the original version the use of the adjective “intimidating”  rather the Italian “minaccioso” underlines the effect produced by the men to the interlocutor. The waiter scares the interlocutor.	
Reason for Choice: The quotation is important because it recover the theme of different culture meeting 	
Analysis: The intelligent reader - through the sentences “I observe, sir, that there continues to be something about our waiter that puts you ill at ease ” - can observe the interlocutor’s fear about what he does not know, his fear about the different. In this quote the different is create by “the hardness of his weathered face” not by his color of skin.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
I placed my hand next to hers, hoping as I had done innumerable times in the past to lure her out of her thoughts. I watched our skin—mine healthy and brown, hers sickly white— separated by a distance not
greater than the width of an engagement ring, but she did not notice me.	Posai la mano accanto alla sua, sperando come innumerevoli volte in passato di riuscire a distoglierla dai suoi pensieri. Osservai la mia pelle di un sano color bruno, la sua di un bianco malsano, separate da una distanza non più grande del diametro di un anello di fidanzamento, ma non mi prestò alcuna attenzione.	In this quote the Italian language appears more precise and stronger than the English version. In fact the verb “osservare” and the expression “non mi prestò alcuna attenzione” imply the use of attention so they imply the use of the mind not only the use of eyes.	
Reason for Choice: In the quotation emerges the difference about the color of skin.	
Analysis: the quote underlines the author’s intent. His intent is always to highlight the cultural differences. In this quotation he emphasizes the differences of the color of skin between Changez and Erica. Changez (Pakistan) compares the color of his skin with the Erica’s one (America). He also connotes his color of skin as “healthy” and the Erica’s skin as “sickly”.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
What your fellow countrymen longed for was unclear to me—a
time of unquestioned dominance? of safety? of moral certainty? I did not know—but
that they were scrambling to don the costumes of another era was apparent. I felt treacherous for wondering whether that era was fictitious, and whether—if it could indeed be animated—it contained a part written for someone like me.	Quello che i vostri compatrioti rimpiangevano non mi era chiaro: un periodo di predominio indiscusso? Di sicurezza? Di certezza morale? Non so, ma era evidente che si stavano dando da fare per indossare i costumi di un’altra epoca. Mi sembrava un tradimento chiedermi se quell’epoca non fosse soltanto un’invenzione e se, visto che poteva essere messa in scena, prevedesse una parte scritta per uno come me.	The English expression “ I felt treacherous” rather the Italian expression “ mi sembrava un tradimento” focus the reader’s attention to a subject’s  specific feeling.	
Reason for Choice:  the quotation is relevant because in it the reader can notice the theme of nostalgia.	
Analysis: In the quotation the theme of nostalgia take shape. The protagonist uses three questions “What your fellow countrymen longed for was unclear to me—a time of unquestioned dominance? of safety? of moral certainty?” to talk about what America wants to recapture. So America wants to recapture that period unquestioned dominance, of safety , of moral certainty. In this quotation the intelligent reader can also notice Changez’s changing. Voleva una parte in quel periodo.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
Yet even at Underwood Samson I could not entirely escape the growing importance of tribe. Once I was walking to my rental car in the parking lot of the cable company when I was approached by a man I did not know. He made a series of unintelligible
noises—“akhala-malakhala,” perhaps, or “khalapal-khalapala” […]“Fucking Arab,” he said.	Tuttavia anche all’ Underwood Samson non potevo sfuggire del tutto alla crescente importanza della tribù. Una volta stavo andando a prendere la macchina nel parcheggio del provider quando venni avvicinato da uno sconosciuto che si mise a fare dei versi inintelligibili – akhala – malakhala forse, o khalapal-khalapala – […] “Arabo del cazzo” disse.	The original version and the use of adverb like “ entirely”  create an image more detailed in the reader’s mind than the Italian language which gives more importance to the verb.	
Reason for Choice: In this quote the reader can observe the relationship between different cultures. 	
Analysis:  this quotation underlines the theme of the relationship between different cultures. In particular it refers about the American’s behavior/reaction against the people who come from a different culture or they have a different color of  skin. The intelligent reader can understands this through the exclamation “fucking Arab”.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
His flat was not the conservative, Upper East Side, liveried-doorman sort of place one might
have expected; it was instead in TriBeCa, a four-thousand-square-foot loft that occupied the top floor of a nondescript building on Duane Street.	Il suo appartamento non era tradizionalista Upper East Side, non era quel genere di palazzo con portieri in livrea che ci si sarebbe aspettati; era invece a TriBeCa, un loft di 370 metri quadri che occupava l’ultimo piano di un anonimo edificio di Duane Steet.	The English words “conservative” and “nondescript” rather the Italian words “tradizionalista” and “ambiguo” create an image more detailed of the object of the discussion in the reader’s mind.	
Reason for Choice: the reader can notice Changez ‘s stereotype about a rich person.	
Analysis: the theme of stereotypes is underlined in this quotation.  Through the sentence “His flat was not the conservative, Upper East Side, liveried-doorman sort of place one might have expected” the reader can understand that also Changez has some stereotype about  Americans. Besides the theme of different social classes is also present in the quotation. 	

CHAPTER 9

Original text (English)	Italian translation	
There are adjustments one must make if one comes here from America; a different way of observing is required. I recall the Americanness of my own gaze when I returned to Lahore that winter when war was in the offing.	Arrivando qui dagli Stati Uniti bisogna adattarsi; è necessario un diverso modo di osservare. Ricordo l’americanità del mio stesso sguardo quando tornai a Lahore quell’inverno in cui la guerra sembrava imminente. 	Words like “must” and “required” makes the importance of having certain requirements clear to the reader.	
Reason for Choice: The quotation is interesting because it refers about changez’s changing point of view.	
Analysis: The quotation is important because Changez realizes for the first time that his point of view is changed. Now he has American eyes “I recall the Americanness of my own gaze”.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
But as I reacclimatized and my surroundings once again became familiar, it occurred to me that the house had not changed in my absence. I had changed; I was looking about me with the eyes of a foreigner, and not just any foreigner, but that particular type of entitled and unsympathetic American who so annoyed me
when I encountered him in the classrooms and workplaces of your country’s elite.	Ma mentre mi riacclimatavo e l’ambiente circostante tornava ad essermi familiare, mi resi conto che non era la casa ad essere cambiata durante la mia assenza; ero io che mi guardavo attorno con gli occhi dello straniero, e non di uno straniero qualunque, ma di quel particolare tipo di americano arrogante e indisponente che mi dava tanto fastidio quando lo incontravo nelle aule universitarie e nei luoghi di lavoro dell’elite del vostro paese.	It’s strange the use of the adjectives “arrogante” and “indisponente” in the italian version because the respective “entitled” and “unsympathetic” has a different meaning. “Entitled” refers to a person who has a title, and “unsympathetic” refers to a person who not feeling, showing, or expressing sympathy. 	
Reason for Choice: The quote is relevant because it tells us the changez’s changing.	
Analysis: Changez realizes that all of him is changed not only the point of view. He became what he had always hated. He became an American “I was looking about me with the eyes of a foreigner, and not just any foreigner, but that particular type of entitled and unsympathetic American who so annoyed me
when I encountered him in the classrooms and workplaces of your country’s elite.”	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
For despite my mother’s
request, and my knowledge of the difficulties it could well present me at immigration, I had not shaved my two-week-old beard. It was, perhaps, a form of
protest on my part, a symbol of my identity, or perhaps I sought to remind myself of the reality I had just left behind;	nonostante la raccomandazione di mia madre, e la mia consapevolezza delle difficoltà che avrebbe comportato, non mi ero rasato la barba di due settimane. Forse era una forma di protesta, un simbolo della mia identità, o forse cercavo di mantenere vivo il ricordo della realtà che mi ero lasciata alle spalle;	The Italian version omits the word “immigration” so the Italian version is less specific than the English.  Besides the English expression “on my part” focuses the attention always on the subject, instead the Italian version focuses on the action.	
Reason for Choice: The theme of identity makes the quotation interesting.	
Analysis: The theme of identity emerges in this quotation. Changez does not want to be American, he wants to be Pakistani, he wants to rediscover his identity. “It was, perhaps, a form of
protest on my part, a symbol of my identity, or perhaps I sought to remind myself of the reality I had just left behind”.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
It is remarkable, given its physical insignificance—it is only a hairstyle, after all—the impact a beard worn by a man of my complexion has on your fellow countrymen.	È incredibile, data la sua insignificanza – dopotutto è un modo di acconciarsi come un altro – l’impatto che ha sui vostri compatrioti una barba esibita da un uomo con la mia carnagione.	The use of “remarkable” instead of “incredibile” emphasizes the fact of the subject is talking about a concrete object: the beard.	
Reason for Choice: The intelligent reader can observe the effect produced by the beard on an American.	
Analysis: In these few lines the reader can notice the effect produced by the beard on the Americans. The beard become the terrorist’s hallmark in the American vision. The intelligent reader can notice the importance of the physical characteristic to create stereotypes.	

CHAPTER 10

Original text (English)	Italian translation	
There really could be no doubt: I was a modern-day janissary.	Non c’erano dubbi: ero un moderno giannizzero.	
Reason for choice: Contrast between past (janissary) and present (Changez condition)
Themes: Western / Eastern world and identity versus multiple identity
Analysis: There is an evident contrast between was, verb tense which reminds to past and to his homeland Pakistan, and modern, word which reminds to America’s present that Changez is living: a possible conclusion is that Changez does not know what is his real chronotope.
Comparative analysis: The relativity of no doubt becomes, in translation, a certainty. The character was first divided between two selves, now has no problem of existential ambiguity
Conclusion: Changez realizes to live in two different worlds and can not choos: being American or Pakistani?	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
Too sweet, you say? An interesting observation, given that I have always felt your country to be rather similar to mine in the intensity of its national desire of sweetness. But perhaps you are atypical; your travels have taken you far from the ubiquitous soda fountains and ice-cream bars of your motherland.	Troppo dolce, dite? Un’osservazione interessante, ho sempre pensato che il vostro paese somigliasse al mio nel suo desiderio nazionale di dolcezza. Ma forse lei fa eccezione; i suoi viaggi l’hanno portata lontano dai gelati e dalle bevande gassate alla spina onnipresenti nella sua terra natale.	
Reason for choice: America and Pakistan, two different cultures
Themes: Different cultures
Analysis: Frequent use of possessive adjectives and pronouns divides the text in two parts, which corresponds with one of novel themes: America versus Pakistan. Your and mine highlights the difference between two nations, two cultures, two people: Changez and the American are so distant to have a common point of view.
Comparative analysis: atypical becomes fa eccezione, this change leads to a narrowing of the case the other party, which is now seen as so alien to his own culture and nation. Besides, the courtesy form,  expressed in English with you, is not present in the original text which seems a confidential and informal dialogue.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
Probably this was why I had been willing to try to take on the persona of Chris, because my own identify was so fragile
	Probabilmente per la stessa ragione, perché la mia identità era così fragile, avevo accettato di personificare Chris
	
Reason for choice: Identity VS multiple identities → Chris
Themes: Dualism between Changez and Chris
Analysis: The quote presents the assonance of the sound " T" , the hard sound that gives to the text and to the words of Changez , a precise meaning: Changez does not feel comfortable with the rolehe played .
Comparative analysis: The most significant difference is given by the different word order, and English focuses attention on the person of Changez while translating for Chris , since his name is placed at the end of the sentence.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
As for myself, I was clearly on the threshold of great change; only the final catalyst was now required, and in my case that catalyst took the form of lunch.
	Quanto a me, ero evidentemente sulla soglia di un cambiamento; ormai non mancava che l'ultima goccia; e quella goccia prese forma di un pranzo
	
Reason for choice: Changes in Changez's life
Themes: Changez metamorphosis
Analysis: The possessive my, the pronoun I and myself , inform the intelligent reader of the central role of Changez in this passage : he knows he is facing an inevitable change that will lead him to face himself and the world around him.
Comparative analysis: Clearly, literally translated in Italian, means chiaramente; the translator 's choice is evidentemente . Between the two terms there is a difference: in the translation , the term evidentemente, characterized Changez as someone who does not know what awaits him, or at least one who has forced come to conclusions which, however, has not yet understood ; on the contrary , in English, Changez know what to expect , so Hamid uses clearly.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
This caused me to reflect again on the absurdity of my situation, being two hemispheres – if such a thing is possible – form home at the time when my family was in need.	Questo mi portò a riflettere di nuovo sull’assurdità della mia situazione, trovarmi a due emisferi di distanza da casa – sempre che così si possa dire – in un momento in cui la famiglia era nel bisogno.	
Reason for choice: Changez’s reaction to the accident
Themes: Different cultures meeting and relationship with the family
Comparative analysis: my family becomes la famiglia, so in the Italian version disappears Changez individual concept of his family: the family becomes an archetype	

CHAPTER 11
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
I reflected that I had always resented the manner in which America conducted itself in the world; your country’s constant interference in the affairs of others was insufferable.	Riflettevo su quanto mi avesse sempre urtato il modo in cui gli Stati Uniti si comportano nel mondo; la continua intromissione del Vostro paese negli affari degli altri è insopportabile.	
Reason for choice: Changez explains his position on the US
Themes: Changez and America
Comparative analysis: The English version uses the term America to refer to the United States , although America is in fact even more. A probable reason behind this choice is to communicate to the reader the idea that the United States has of himself: a young nation , the most powerful and which is believed bigger than it actually is. In the Italian translation , the choice to use the name United States restricts the idea of the United States and limits the potential : the point of view that emerges in this case is not only to Changez , but to any other person outside of the US .	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
You wish to pay half? Absolutely not; besides, here we pay all or we pay none. You have reminded me of how alien I found the concept of acquaintances splitting a bill when I first arrived in your country.	Vuole fare a metà? Assolutamente no; e poi da noi si paga tutto o non si paga niente. Mi ha fatto ricordare quanto trovavo strano, appena arrivato nel vostro paese, che si dividesse il conto a metà.	
Reason for choice: This episode evokes something in Changez
Themes: Different cultures meeting
Comparative analysis: The use of " alien" shows how Changez is about the inconceivable and inexplicable  and refers to his feeling of being an alien in front of the Americans. The word queer instead suggests that Changez is unusual to a certain detail , and that with time you will get used (implies a change from Changez ).
Acquaintances splitting a bill - which divide the bill in half: the Italian translation omits "acquaintances " 
("that divide the bill in half [ friends ]") ; in this way, the English version implies that the bill is split in half just close relationships between friends and acquaintances and implies that it is done for fairness as well as to help and support each other.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
It was a beautiful spot to commit suicide	Era un bel posto per suicidarsi	
Reason for choice: Contrast between beautiful and suicide
Themes: Erica’s characterization
Analysis: The novelist choice to juxtapose beautiful and suicide creates a contrast because, usually, there is no beautiful spot to commit suicide; Changez seems to be “relaxed” when he hears about Erica’s death, maybe ‘cause he knows how much she suffered.
Comparative analysis: The comparison consists to analysis expressions commit suicide and suicidarsi. In the original version there is no word for the fact , but there is an expression which emphasizes that suicide is condemned by the Church of England: for Anglicans suicide is an evil act, even if you can see the spread of a double standard : the relentless condemnation of suicides of farmers and the poor is often a counterpoint to the deliberate concealment of suicidal religious and noble.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
I did not do so for over a week; it (Erica’s manuscript) sat undisturbed on top of my television. During that time I waited for a sign from Erica – an email, a phone call, a ring on my buzzer – but none ever come	Io non lo lessi per più di una settimana; lo lasciai indisturbato sopra il televisore. Per tutto quel tempo aspettai un segnale da Erica – una mail, una telefonata, uno squillo – ma non arrivò niente	
Reason for choice: Changez does not give up in front of the almost certain death of Erica
Themes: Love relationship
Analysis: Changez expected signs by Erica ; these signs are for the most part can be sent from a distance, from an unknown place : Changez know that Erica is dead, and it seems that unconsciously wants to communicate with her in the afterlife .
Comparative analysis: Signs evoked by Changez , one does not have a precise Italian translation: a ring on my ring buzzer has been translated as squillo, an ambiguous word because it can refer to multiple sounds (telephone, doorbell , intercom , etc.). Probably the translator wanted to create this ambiguity precisely on the only sign that presupposed a physical proximity between Changez and Erica that will never happen because of the suicide of the girl. 	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
Erica stood in front of me, her back to my chest, and I placed my arms around her, resting my palms on her belly. It felt an intimate gesture – like that of an expectant father with his pregnant wife – and she leaned against me	Erica era davanti a me e mi volgeva la schiena, e io l’avevo circondata con le braccia, posandole le mani sul ventre. Era un gesto intimo, come quello di un futuro padre con la moglie incinta, e lei si era appoggiata a me	
Reason for choice: Changez remembers how much he loves Erica
Themes: Love relationship, Changez future life will
Analysis: To reinforce the intimate image that evokes the episode , in the original version are possessive adjectives , possessive pronouns : all are designed to give a better idea family that had flashed in the mind of Changez .
Comparative analysis: Possessive adjectives and pronouns are absent in the Italian translation and quetso evokes in the reader a sense of the distance between Changez and Erica , reinforced by the contrast is created between this feature and intimate. In the English version , the presence of the paratactic form gives clarity and punch out the description, absent in the translation.	

CHAPTER 12

Original text (English)	Italian translation	
Regardless, there is no need for us to concern ourselves overmuch; let us continue with our midnight stroll. Lahore is a city of eight million people, after all; it is hardly a rural forest inhabited by phantoms.	Comunque non è il caso di preoccuparsi troppo; continuiamo la nostra passeggiata di mezzanotte. Dopotutto Lahore è una città di otto milioni di persone, non una sperduta foresta abitata da fantasmi.	
Reason for choice: Changez draws the attention on the American
Themes: Different cultures meeting
Analysis: In the first paragraph there is a strong possessive pronoun - adjective presents our / to the intelligent reader, with a focus on this particular , you realize how Changez tries to put his party at home , trying to win his confidence in defining a group formed by the two of them alone. The term rural forest is to understand how, for Changez opinion, the West sees the East , symbolically understood as Lahore, motherplace of the main character.
Comparative analysis: Changez assures the US through the contrast between the populous Lahore and a forest inhabited by ghosts. The different connotations taken from the forest reveals different elements of which the US can / should be afraid. The English translation connotes the forest with the word " rural", in reference to the campaign : Changez implies that the US is afraid of environments related to nature and away from the city. In the Italian translation , the forest is characterized by the word " lost ": Changez then focuses on the fear of being alone and not knowing where you are.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
Not, of course, that I actually believe I am having a relationship, in the normal sense of that term, with Erica at this moment, or that she will one day appear, smiling and bent against the weight of her backpack, to surprise me on my doorstep.	Non che in quel momento credessi davvero di avere una relazione, nel normale senso del termine, con Erica, o che sperassi di vederla comparire sulla soglia di casa mia, sorridente e china sotto il peso dello zaino, per farmi una sorpresa.	
Reason for choice: Changez tells about Erica’s supposed death
Themes: Love relationship
Analysis: The proximity between believe and appear is a contrast because the former is a verb that means something real to believe in the second evokes an abstract dimension; another contrast is between this moment and she will for the first expression indicates something in the present and the second something of the future.
Comparative analysis: The Italian translation differs from the original version of the sentence as Changez use different tenses . While the English version uses the present , making Erica a part of his present and a presence in thought , in the Italian version of the conditional tense used is imperfect , which puts Erica in the past Changez . The translation then shows the overcoming of the " phase Erica" ​​.
Changez uses in the English version , a future tense ; moreover, the auxiliary " will" suggests a promise or even a certainty. On the contrary, in the Italian version uses the word “sperassi” , always a past tense , which suggests that at least once Changez had hoped the return of Erica .	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
She believed I was in the grip of an unhealthy melancholy and that a family of my own was the surest way for me to rediscover satisfaction in my life	È convinta che io sia preda a una malinconia morbosa e pensa che mettere su famiglia sia il modo migliore per ritrovare soddisfazione nella vita

Reason for choice: Religious influence, Changez’s mother wants his son get married
Themes: Religion, family
Analysis: In the English version the individual is at the center of the story, however, appear as an antithesis to the same quote is about family, a group , a group of people who gather around a fulcrum in this case the focus is a child not the father.
Comparative analysis: Rediscover - ritrovare : to rediscover the exact translation is rediscovered. The two Italian words are similar because they both refer to something to be recovered to make this better than it is.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
I can assure you that I am a believer of nonviolence; the spilling of blood is abhorrent to me, save in self-defence.

	Posso assicurarle che sono un seguace della non violenza, e aborro lo spargimento di sangue, se non per autodifesa. 
	
Reason for choice: Changez prejudices
Themes: Encounter with the other 
Analysis: Changez rejects all forms of violence , even if it implies to be able to kill to defend themselves. Again, the individual has a central role (I, I, me) in the quote . The statement I am a believer of nonviolence recalls the initial I am a lover of America , which means that Changez tries , these sentences , to put you at ease and make friends with the other party.
Comparative analysis: There is only one significant difference between the two versions believer is translated as a follower, although it literally means a credente. The word translated refers the reader to a subject close to Changez , the war, the field antithetical to the original credente.	
Original text (English)	Italian translation	
But why are you reaching into your jacket, sir? I detect a glint of metal.
	Ma perché si fruga nella giacca, signore? Ho visto balenare un riflesso metallico
	
Reason for choice: Changez is suspicious, but he is still polite
Themes: Encounter with the other
Analysis: The polite form is still present despite Changez Intuit has to be in danger ; find the similarity of the sound " T " in order to remind the reader of the ticking of a ping, which can be a gun.
Comparative analysis: Detect literally means  identify but it is translated as ho visto balenare : the difference is that in the English version seems that Changez is expected that reflection because he has found it, he sought and found it. In translation it seems that Chagez accidentally discovers to be life threatening . Another difference is by reaching and si fruga , because in the Italian version it seems that the interlocutor is looking for something in his pocket because he is afraid of what is happening while in the original version is a step toward the fulfillment of his plan.