In the following essay, Zach evaluates the universal significance of Translations.

In the excerpt below, Kearney discusses Friel's exploration of the role of language in the formation of a community in Translations.

In the following essay, Kearney speculates on the political and social dimensions of language as text and subject matter in Friel's Translations and The Communication Cord.

Translations debuted in the Fall of 1980 in a Field Day Theatre production at the Guildhall in Derry (Londonderry), Northern Ireland. The following April, it opened off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club. In the following review of the Derry staging, Rushe provides a historical background to the subject of the play, noting that the cultural conflicts of the past still exist today.

In the review below, Rich states that Translations "has something profound to say about how words can determine the fates of ordinary people, nations and even centuries of history," but he faults the play's uneven structure and lack of depth in some characters.

In the following review of the New York premiere of Translations, Barnes gives the play a favorable reception, claiming that it "gleams with that old bardic poetry translated … into style. "

In his review of Translations, Kroll states that beneath the surface of "this sweet and subtle play" lies a "powerful study of the roots of imperialism, the take-over not just of a country but of a spirit through the take-over of its language."