| Translations | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Translations_in_Kupalauski_15.JPG) Translations on stage in Minsk | |
| Written by | Brian Friel |
| Characters | Manus Sarah Jimmy Jack Maire Doalty Bridget Hugh Owen Captain Lancey Lieutenant Yolland |
| Date premiered | 23 September 1980 |
| Place premiered | Guildhall, Derry, Northern Ireland |
| Original language | English[a] |
| Subject | Language, colonialism |
| Genre | tragicomedy |
| Setting | County Donegal, late August 1833 |
Translations is a three-act play by Irish playwright Brian Friel, written in 1980. It is set in Baile Beag (Ballybeg), a County Donegal village in 19th-century Ireland. Friel has said that Translations is "a play about language and only about language", but it deals with a wide range of issues, stretching from language and communication to Irish history and cultural imperialism. Friel said that his play "should have been written in Irish" but, despite this fact, he carefully crafted the verbal action in English, bringing the political questions of the play into focus.[1] Baile Beag ("Small Town") is a fictional village, created by Friel as a setting for several of his plays,[2] although there are many real places called Ballybeg throughout Ireland.
- ^ Agnew, Paddy (December 1980). "Talking to Ourselves: interview with Brian Friel". Magill. Dublin: 59.
- ^ Sternlicht, Sanford V. (2005). Masterpieces of modern British and Irish drama. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-313-33323-1.