Translations | Themes

Translations Themes

The Power of Language

The central idea of this play is the power that language holds over a people and their culture. The entire being of a society is caught up in the language that they use. This language portrays their beliefs, their traditions and their individuality. If one takes a group of people, as in this play, and attempts to change the language of their lives, it changes the meaning of their entire being. Yolland alludes to this idea when he tells Owen that he feels even if he learns Irish, he will still never truly understand the subtle meanings of the Irish language and be able to understand the Irish people. Yolland believes he will always be considered an outsider because his primary language is English. Hugh also makes the statement that the factual past is not necessarily what shapes the people of any particular culture. It is instead the way these...
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