Brian Friel's Translations

In Translations, by Brian Friel, language is used as a mechanism to feature the many issues of communication within the characters’ small Irish village. Throughout the play, Friel attempts to advocate for the Irish language because he believes that language represents one’s identity and historical background. Unfortunately, the town, and specifically the local school, have been appropriated by British officers, whose main goal is to transition the school into an entirely English-spoken school, as opposed to allowing the residents’ native Irish language. To begin, a few characters presume to be the main people this act focuses on; Maire, Doalty, Bridget, and two English soldiers. These characters have various views on …show more content…
He acts as somewhat of a mediator between the opposing groups and acts as a translator for them both. “My job is to translate the quant, archaic tongue you people persist in speaking into the King’s good English,” said by Owen (to Manus) on page 28, describing his valuable role in attempting to bring both cultures and languages together. Additionally, the title itself; Translations, correlates directly with this identity and the meaning of the play, particularly in act one, because translating is vital to having both the native Irish speakers and English speakers fully understand what each party is saying and to understand their cultural background. In addition, the very need of a translator shows a lack of knowledge of one’s cultural and historical background, for which no one can be blamed. However, this demonstrates an absence of understanding one’s identity, especially because Friel himself believes that language is a critical quality of culture that can truly represent someone’s identity. Without it, he worries that if an area becomes colonized in the future, as the village in the play is, there will be nothing left to show the real and native aspects of its history and culture