From Connemara to Estonia: A comparative analysis of The Beauty Queen of Leenane and Mägede iluduskuninganna

Abstract

This thesis compares Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane (1996) and its Estonian translation, Mägede iluduskuninganna (1999), by Erki Sivonen to examine how culturally specific language and Hiberno-English are adapted into Estonian. The paper is divided into a theoretical section discussing theatre translation, culture-specific items (CSI) and character speech, followed by an analytical section comparing selected passages from the source text and translation. The analysis demonstrates that the translation generally prioritises performability and local resonance over the direct preservation of Irish linguistic and cultural specificity, while retaining elements of rural marginality and social markedness. Keywords: Translation studies, Theatre translation, Irish culture, Cultural adaptation