Owen's Role in Translations

Due to the fact that Owen is both a native of Baile Beag, and an assistant to the English, he represents a number of contrasting points of view throughout the play. Firstly, he is a representative of the more forward-thinking Irish, such as himself and Maire, in the sense that he realises that the natural progression for Irish society at this time is with the English, and not against them. However, it is arguable that this acceptance comes on the back of the fact that he has the ability to understand the English - he can speak their language, and in doing so has crossed the most fundamental cultural divide that separates the two nations. Furthermore, in doing so, he has progressed as an individual, and bearing in mind that the play was only written in 1975, perhaps suggests Friel's opinion that progress can only come after understanding, and it is a lack of this that is at the heart of the world's problems even today. To add to this, the fact that Manus can speak English, yet chooses not to, shows the importance of communication to progression. The fact that he prefers to converse in classical languages is perhaps a symbol of the backwardness of his home, and hints at the idea that should this 'military operation' develop into a more violent one (which, as Friel would know, in history it eventually does), the Irish, for all their romanticism, do not realistically stand a chance.

The most significant enemy in the re-naming of the places is that the Irish believe it to be a removal of their heritage and tradition, as Manus says, 'What's 'incorrect' about the place-names we have here?' It would seem that Owen's view on the idea of the preservation of tradition is to question tradition altogether. When he and Yolland are discussing what to call Tobair Vree he asks 'do we keep piety with a man long dead, long forgotten, his name eroded beyond recognition, whose trivial little story nobody in the parish remembers?' Here Owen points to the Irish people's almost instinctive fear of change. He sees tradition as simply a romantic perhaps even nationalist excuse to hide from progression. This view is perhaps the least biased of all, as of all the characters Owen is the one furthest away from any particular side, and because of this, he is easier for the audience to relate to, and could perhaps even be described as the play's chief narrator. Moreover, Owen's less passionate stance incorporates a check on the Irish nationalism that much of the play delivers.

In spite of his position as translator, it is arguable that Owen is in fact a barrier of understanding between the two cultures. When he introduces the natives to Yolland and Lancey and provides the translation he omits details and alters others and changes the meaning to that of which, from one point of view, is less controversial. He changes the fat that they will be likely to have to pay more taxes to 'from now on you will know exactly what is yours by law', and he translates Maire's 'Has he anything to say?' to 'she is dying to hear you.' There are three possible reasons for his inaccurate translation.