Mixed Scrabble tiles

Language and Memory

Yesterday I was talking with my Haitian friends in Haitian Creole for about an hour as we were planning how to set up our class to teach Haitians how to speak American English. Per my request, they talked a little more slowly and with fewer idioms than usual (although they did throw in an idiom that I got right away with my brain rapidly connecting the imagery with cultural aspects of Haiti, and man did that feel good that I did that!).

A Black woman looks at the camera. We see her brown eyes and brown skin.

When We See Them

I’ve come to know many Haitians who are delightfully unique in their outlook on life as they are in their accents and vocabulary, which gives me no end of headaches as I try to figure out yet another idiom or unique word play I need to understand so that I can grasp their meaning.

Man wearing hard hat and orange safety vest is tying iron construction rods together.

Chèmèt chèmètrès

Adventures in translation This was my “wrapped the chain around the axle” moment today. My assignment this month is to … More