19974: Higbie: Re: 19941: Aristide resignation letter -- translation (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Janet Higbie <jhigbie@nytimes.com>


I'm wondering what people think of the English translation of the Aristide
letter on the CNN site.  "I accept to leave" is not proper English, giving
the false impression that the writer is illiterate in his own language, or
that Creole is some sort of pidgin that can't be translated (unless
Aristide wrote in a way that would be ungrammatical in Creole as
well).  Though my knowledge of Creole is very limited, wouldn't "M aksepte
ale" be better translated in English as, "I agree to go"?

(My apologies if this has already discussed.)

Janet

link to letter and translation:
>http://haitiforever.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=783