Is It Actually Love?

While I read Act two scene 2 of Translations, I was reminded of a scene from the movie "Love Actually." This movie explores the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during the weeks before Christmas in London, England. One of the eight relationships follows a man named Jamie who finds out his girlfriend has been cheating on him with his brother. He breaks up with her, moves away, and enlists the help of a Portuguese woman, Aurelia, who becomes his assistant and helper around the house. Eventually the two fall in love, but the strange thing is that neither of them speak one another's language. They find themselves trying to speak to each other through hand motions (and even a kiss eventually), but most of the time they end up speaking in their respective languages with absolutely no idea what each other is saying. This results in some pretty humorous moments when the two are together, repeating everything each other is saying and having no idea that they are doing so. Just like Jamie and Aurelia, Yolland and Maire find themselves in the same situation. They don't speak the same language nor do either of them know each other's respective language. They also find themselves speaking through motion whether it be holding the other's hand, Maire "turn[ing] away from him and moving slowly across the stage", or through a kiss at the end of Act two (65). Also like Jamie and Aurelia, Yolland and Maire find themselves in situations where their speech causes humorous frustration. When Maire is telling Owen to tell Yolland about the dance it gets a little out of hand in the end with Maire asking Owen, "what does he say?" and Yolland asking him, "what is she saying?" (61). Eventually Owen just gives up and refuses to translate any further. I found that scene quite hilarious.

In the end of "Love Actually" Jamie and Aurelia end up learning one another's languages without each other knowing. Jamie proposes to Aurelia and they become engaged. So this leads me to wonder, do Yolland and Maire have the potential to do the same? Can they be together despite the language barrier? Can you love someone you've never really spoken to? Judging from Sarah's reaction of, "Manus...Manus!" when she finds them kissing at the end of Act two, we can anticipate some drama in their circle of friends as a result of this (67). Although Jamie and Aurelia and Yolland and Maire's relationships appear similar, I have a feeling Yolland and Maire's relationship will not end up as "dream come true" as Jamie and Aurelia's. I wonder, considering Maire and Yolland, will the language barrier be enough to keep them from being together? Is their relationship superficial since they cannot really speak to one another? Does Yolland and Maire's "relationship" have potential to be actually love?