Creole - Haiti Observer Blog

We launched our Haitian Creole Translation Service in he year 2000. We translates every type of documents, including quality, research-based educational resources, marketing materials, medical publications, and legal contracts. We have a professional team of Haitian translators who translate materials in Haitian Creole so that the translated materials from the linguistic perspective, are appropriate for a variety of corporate, institutional, and academic settings located in the United States and Canada. We also strive to provide translations that are consistent and appropriate all across Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Haiti both from the perspectives of selectively chosen vocabulary and language structure. The lyrics are not translated in a word-for-word manner--sense of the text is always preserved. Materials are translated by retaining key Creole terminologies as much as possible to support language development.

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Learning to speak in the mother tongue is very important for a child's overall development. All children, no matter which language their parents speak, learn a language in the same way. When babies are born, they can make and hear all the sounds in their surroundings. When you talk to your child, you support her language development. A child's brain develops during the first three years of a child's life. Research indicates that learning through mother tongue leads to a much better understanding of the curriculum as well as a more positive attitude towards school. Research has clearly shown that mother tongue has a very important role in children's overall development. The stronger the children's mother tongue, the easier it is for them to discover new areas. UNESCO has encouraged mother tongue instruction in primary education since 1953. Mother tongue is crucial in framing the thinking and emotions of people. Language is clearly the key to communication and understanding in the classroom.

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The word "Creole" simply means a mixture of different languages--it could be French based Creole or English-based, or Portuguese or Arabic based, etc. Haitian Creole emerged from contact between French settlers and African slaves during the Atlantic slave trade in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). It originated in the 18th century mostly with influence from Portuguese, Spanish, English, Taíno, and West African languages. In the present day, it is the main spoken language for 9 million people living in Haiti and further 400,000 emigrated Haitians living in the Bahamas, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cuba, French Guiana, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, and United States.

Many different agencies provide a range of translation services for business customers and individual clients. They translate documents for the web, for print and for use within companies. Some of them provide top notch customer service with 24X7 support at the most affordable rate. They are translating all manner of documents.

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Four years ago, the SLS South Beach Hotel in Miami was hit with a lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for alleged discrimination against their Haitian workers. Seventeen Haitian dishwashers employed there were forbidden from speaking Haitian Creole. The Haitian workers were also asked to drag heavy items up the the 13th floor of the hotel by stairs. For the Hispanic workers, not only they were free to chat Spanish, they also did not have to carry any heavy items anywhere.

One time, a Haitian worker asked his manager to fix the broken service elevator in the hotel, the boss stated:

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New York City to release Haitian Creole Immigrant Rights and Services manual

In acknowledgement of the Haitian immigrant community and their contributions to the building of New York City (NYC), Controller Scott Stringer has issued a Haitian Créole version of the Immigration Rights and Services (IRS) manual.

At a media event held at Flatbush Caton Market, Stringer announced the news in the presence of Haitian Council Member, Mathieu Eugene, and Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte. Other Haitian and Caribbean civic and government representatives were also there.

The IRS manual is 70 pages of resources in areas of health, legal, social, and education. It also includes information on public benefits, voting, and civic participation. IRS is an important tool for Haitian immigrants newly arrived to the metropolis, and will be distributed to immigrant communities in five NYC boroughs.

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The term "Creole" comes from a Portugese word meaning "raised in the home". The language resulted and developed probably after 1680 and before 1730 from the efforts of African slaves who wanted to speak the French they heard when they arrived in the European plantations in the colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). African slaves came from many different parts of West Africa and they used to speak many different languages. On any one plantation, several African languages were spoken. They were seldom able to communicate among themselves in a common African tongue. The slaves, on their arrivals in Haiti, first came into the contacts with the French settlers, speaking several dialectal forms of French as they also came from different parts of France. Thus, as a common mean to communicate, the slaves tried to learn Popular French .

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Creole Gaining Acceptance in Classrooms

While French may be the official language of Haiti, Creole is what is spoken by over 90% of its citizens. However French is the language used to teach in nearly every Haitian classroom, yet instructors don't speak or write it fluently. Creole and French vocabularies and syntaxes differ to the point they are almost unrecognizable. People ask why continue an education system using a language uncomfortable to teach and learn in?

Haitian Creole is perceived as an inferior offshoot of French and its speakers as having no fluency in French, when in fact they are speaking Creole. For students, not being able to master French means not being able to do well in their studies.

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The presence of the Haitian community in the United States is undeniable. Whether in politic, school or at the work place, it is hard to avoid our influence. A recent report just released has discovered that the Haitian presence and influence in the U.S. has in fact increased during the past 14 years in America.

According to the survey, the number of Creole speakers in United States has increased by 73 percent from 2000 to 2014. In 2000, Creole was the 14th most common language spoken at home. In 2014, it is ranks 10th.

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How many people , after being admitted to such a prestigious place as the Académie française would want the world to know of his humble upbringing? Someone like Dany Laferrière would and that is what made him so special. Last Saturday, Dany Laferrière who was just elected to the French Academy arrived in Petit-Goâve to share some of that success and his new fame.

While in Petit-Goâve where he grew up, Dany Laferrière met several people who came to greet and congratulate him. He is now considered to be the pride of Haiti and especially the town of Petit-Goâve. He said that the city of Petit-Goâve had been his inspiration and actually played a key role in his writings.

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This is a video of Senator Moise Jean-Charles in a televised discussion that was held in French. The Senator of North was obligated to express himself in the French language.

Senator Moise Jean-Charles received lots of critics for his ability to express himself in French.

Senator Moise Jean-Charles is definitely a controversial figure in Haitian politic. He has been defending the mass and is in total opposition to the government of Michel Martelly whom he accused for corruption and drug dealing.

When it comes to Moise Jean-Charles, you are either for or against him. If you are for him you likely love his message. On the other hand, if you don't agree with him, you likely have very strong feeling against his person.

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