How does the title 'Translations' relate to the play? In particular explore how Friel intrigues the audience about his translation of Gaelic in Act II Scene II.

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Amy Bowring

How does the title ‘Translations’ relate to the play? In particular explore how Friel intrigues the audience about his translation of Gaelic in Act II Scene II.

Brian Friel’s play ‘Translations’ demonstrates an important issue that has been circling society for many years that continues to the present. The difference in language and derelict and the violence and disturbance it leads to is something that society is yet to overcome and the need to challenge or change these still lingers. Brian Friel is one the most accomplished play writes of the 21st Century and this particular play show his tremendous skill in which he can address an issue and illustrate the affect it has on society and life. He was born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone in 1929, and the play, ‘Translations’ was written in 1980, a time of particular aggression and uproar in Ireland. Friel commented in an interview of his own, that he knew the only way this play would be appreciated and it issues explored properly was if it was written and performed in English. This way he believed that the large number of English speaking countries would not overlook and dismiss this play at first glance as what would have most likely happened had it been written in Gaelic Irish. At least this way the most important points would be understood - “…the sad irony, of course, is the fact that this play is be written in English. It ought to be written in Irish.” – FRIEL 1980

        Brian Friel cleverly expresses the views and the problems in the form of a play. Therefore, evident from the very beginning is a manner of translation which produces this most suitable and affective title. It is an extremely clever choice due to the large number of meanings that Friel adapts the word ‘translations’ to. Most obvious of all is the translating of the place names. This forms the basis of the play and the cause of much aggregation, the translating of Irish to English. The process of this is most important to two individual characters – Owen and Yolland, it being there job to do this. The stage directions in the novel tell us what is happening; “The sappers have already mapped most of the area. Yolland’s official task which Owen is now doing, is to take each of the Gaelic names – every hill, stream, rock, even every patch of ground which is possessed its own distinctive Irish name – and Anglicise it, either by changing it into its approximate English sound or by translating it into English words. For example, a Gaelic name like Cnoc Ban could become Knockban or – directly translated - Fair Hill. These new standardised names were entered into the Name-Book, and when the new maps appeared they contained all these new Anglicised names. Owens’s official function as translator is to pronounce each name in Irish and then provide the English translation.” – Act II-Scene II-38

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        The large extract above illustrates the most obvious connection to the title ‘Translations’. From this quotation we learn not only about their roles in this play but an insight of their characters. We learn that Owen is doing Yolland’s job for him. And in the following text it is clear that Yolland’s thoughts are else where. More important than what we learn about their actual character is what we learn about their attitudes about the relationship between the English and the Irish. It is evident that both these characters are ones who want to break this hostility and abhorrence between ...

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