Abstract
Focusing on the Anglicization of town names in Brian Friel’s Translations, this article analyzes the significance of translation, beyond names as agents of linguistic imperialism and functions or symbols of identity. Using a Christian lens to demonstrate the intrinsic dignity signified in a name combined with a colonization case study in the Danish West Indies attesting to the injuries of denying a given name, the irreversible damage of translating names into a non-native language is clear. At the same time, imposing Anglicized names on the Irish community allows opportunities for resistance, such as continuing the private use of the Irish names, even if they cannot be spoken in the public sphere. The example of Translations illustrates how the radical translation of names traumatizes and injures the dignity of Irish persons, beyond linguistic imperialism and the rupture of identity.
Recommended Citation
Schoder, Diana J..
"Preserving the Dignity of the Irish in "Translations"."
The Downtown Review.
Vol. 10.
Iss.
2
(2024)
.
Available at:
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/tdr/vol10/iss2/1
Included in
Christianity Commons, European Languages and Societies Commons, Language Interpretation and Translation Commons
