As its title would suggest, Tranlations is a play about language – and a rather playful one at that. Though written in 1980’s Ireland, it takes place in a rural 1830’s Ireland where Irish is still the dominate language and English is just beginning to invade. The greater portion of the plot involves some English cartographers who have come into a little hamlet with the assignment of translating all the geographic locations from Irish to their Anglicized equivalent.

Not being fully aware of Irish-English language conflicts in Ireland today, it’s difficult to really to know to what degree Translations addresses those conflicts. Nonetheless, that there are tensions between the languages at all brings many of Translations issues right to the forefront. The play appears, most fundamentally, to be a discussion of the very Irish-English issue.

We are first presented with the old world: the learned Hugh and his scholarly class, who represent conservative ideals through their extensive passion for language and its origins. They value, as much as one possible could, the origin of language. Indeed, they are so rooted in tradition, that they seek to learn what is clearly an archaic vocabulary because to them it is, in some way, more pure. Irish, in the play, is cast as both purer and simpler. When either of the English officers would speak they would use wordy, frilly language that Owen translated correctly with simplicity and grace. Furthermore, their sense of definition is as far from descriptive and as near to prescriptive as you can get. The proper definition of a word is found in its Latin etymology. Tradition is valued above all else.

It’s a strange twist that, for the audience’s benefit, everything is spoken in English. When Owen is translating he is translating from English to English really. Hugh and his class discuss the Latin etymology of English words, when they’re really speaking an Irish that doesn’t use the same Latin base.

After settling into the nice Irish hamlet, we then are quickly confronted with the new world. The English language – like the imperialistic English themselves – are moving in to take over. Owen represents this new generation that sees in language no more value than is presently attached to it as he and Yolland traverse the countryside renaming every Irish description to some reasonably similar version of English. On many occasions, however, the original name is based on something seemingly obsolete – like the crossroads that only Own knows about – and new names are given altogether. In this opposite extreme, tradition is given no value at all.

This tension between the new and old could be seen in many different ways in modern day Ireland. On the one hand, it represents a literal tension in language itself and notes the struggles with which many Irish currently face in attempting to preserve their traditional language. In the larger, political scale, it also addresses the great conflict with England and Ireland’s attempts to be free and independent of the country – both politically and culturally.

Translations also includes some interesting ideas in the conflict of communication itself, whatever be the language. On the one hand, Translations shows that communication can transcend language. Sarah often manages to make herself understood despite language, for example, and Yolland and Maire seem to exemplify the idea that love is its own language. On the other hand, lack of communication creates barriers, such as in the English army’s demands for Yolland without trying to communicate with the villagers as to his whereabouts first.

Both of these issues in communication seem to suggest that where there is some sort of dialogue, there will be peace and understanding. And more importantly, when both parties – such as Yolland and Maire – seek earnestly to understand each other despite language (and cultural and national) barriers, the most prosperous unions can be made. This notion of communication and understanding seems fully appropriate for modern day discussions of peace and prosperity in Ireland.

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