What does it mean to understand someone?

Yolland  Poteen - poteen - poteen. Even if I did speak Irish I'd always be an outsider here, wouldn't I? I may learn the password but the language of the tribe will always elude me, won't it? The private core will always be...hermetic, won't it?
Owen  You can learn to decode us.

Translations, 2.1.48

~*~

I think it is fascinating to watch Yolland's love for the Irish land and culture grow throughout the play. So often we see outsiders in literature as nothing more than that: static characters whose status marks them apart from society. In this case, Yolland has more love and fascination with the Irish heritage than Owen, a native to the island. It seems as if what Yolland is saying in the quote above is that he could never completely understand the society, culture and mindset behind the language. He recognizes that, without this understanding, knowing the language would only give him the power of words, not the power to remove his outsider status.

In some ways, it seems as if Yolland has done a better job decoding the Irish people than Owen has. Owen left by choice, and Yolland found himself in Ireland by accident, but the Englishman is the more Irish at heart. While Owen focuses on renaming the locations and takes pride in his work, Yolland realizes that there is something being lost that should be protected. Such a distinction is rather surprising, as I would not initially expect an outsider to realize the treasure being ignored. However, upon further thought, this idea makes sense. Yolland, as an outsider removed from the Irish society, he is one of the only people who sees that there is some act being committed against the people of this country that should be stopped. I can not help but wonder if his love for the culture combined with his placement as an outsider gave him the eyes to see what was being willingly lost.