VOA慢速英语:Young Haitians in Florida Learn About US Culture and Their Own

The state of Florida is home to one of the largest populations of Haitians outside of Haiti. The city of Miami has a neighborhood known as Little Haiti. People who live there keep close ties to Haitian culture.
佛罗里达州是除海地本土之外最大的海地人聚居地之一。迈阿密市有一个被称为小海地的地区，居住在那里的人们跟海地文化保持的密切联系。

TEACHER: "Bonjour, monsieur."
TEACHER：“你好，先生。”(此为法语)

Young Haitians can learn French at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.
年轻的海地人可以在小海地文化中心学习法语。

Haiti is a former French colony. French is the main language used in schools there.
海地是法国前殖民地，法语是学校里使用的主要语言。

The center offers the classes through a noNPRofit organization called the French Heritage Language Program. Not all of the students are Haitian. But for the ones who are -- including Dominique Domond -- the language has special meaning.
该中心通过一个被称为法国传统语言计划的非营利性组织提供课程。并非所有学生都是海地人。但对包括Dominique Domond在内的海地人来说，该语言具有特殊意义。

DOMINIQUE DOMOND: "My mom speaks French a little bit. She speaks French and English."
DOMINIQUE DOMOND：“我妈妈会讲一点点法语。她会讲法语和英语。”

Marie Domond is Dominique's mother.
Marie Domond是Dominique的妈妈。

MARIE DOMOND: "Sometimes, he says, 'Mom, I want you to teach me how to speak your language.'"
MARIE DOMOND：“有时候，他说，‘妈妈，我要你教我讲你的语言。’”

Jennifer Linkletter teaches French at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.
Jennifer Linkletter在小海地文化中心教授法语。

JENNIFER LINKLETTER: "French is part of what it means to be Haitian, and the goal of the program is to get them in touch with their French history and with their French roots and to be proud of that."
JENNIFER LINKLETTER：“法语意味着是海地人的一部分。该语言计划的目标是让他们接触法国历史以及他们的法国根源，并为之自豪。”

Learning another language can also help them when they grow up. Martine Buissart is the Miami coordinator for the French Heritage Language Program, which is based in New York.
学习另一种语言对他们长大后也有所帮助。Martine Buissart是总部设在纽约的法国传统语言计划负责迈阿密的协调员。

MARTINE BUISSART: "The more languages you speak, the more you can share, you can work. For work, it's very important."
MARTINE BUISSART：“你讲的语言越多，你能参与和工作的也就越多。这是非常重要的。”
The organization has also helped expand French classes at Boyd Anderson High School in South Florida. About twenty-five Haitian earthquake survivors attend the school.
该组织还帮助拓展了南佛罗里达州博伊德．安德森中学的法语课程。约有25%的海地地震幸存者就读于这所学校。

(SOUND: School bell)

The students were among thousands of Haitians who came to the United States after their country's powerful earthquake last year. One of those survivors is Kerby Edme.
学生们是去年海地发生强烈地震后来到美国的数千名海地人的一部分。Kerby Edme是这些幸存者之一。

KERBY EDME: "Right after I jumped to the other roof, the house collapsed."
KERBY EDME：“在我跳到另一个屋顶的时候，这座房子倒塌了。”

The teachers have tried to help students like Kerby learn to live in their new culture.
老师们试图帮助像Kerby这样的学生在新的文化中生活。

KERBY EDME: "The teachers were very patient with us, because some of us, we didn't speak English before we came here."
KERBY EDME：“老师对我们都非常耐心。因为我们中有一些人在来这里之前不会说英语。”

Angel Almanzar, the principal of the school, says language was not the only problem.
学校校长Angel Almanzar称，语言并不是唯一的问题。

ANGEL ALMANZAR: "Lack of knowledge about the American education system. Feeling isolated."
ANGEL ALMANZAR：“对美国教育体系认识的缺乏，让他们感到孤立。”

Teacher Mathieu Daquin is himself Haitian. He says the classes have been good for the students from Haiti.
教师Mathieu Daquin自己是海地人。他说，这些课程对来自海地的学生很有好处。

MATHIEU DAQUIN: "It's like Little Haiti within a school. This is where they feel at home."
MATHIEU DAQUIN：“这里就像是学校里的小海地。在这里他们有宾至如归的感觉。”

For student Endieula St. Jean, that comfort is important.
对学生Endieula St. Jean来说，这种舒适非常重要。

ENDIEULA ST. JEAN: "When I came to the United States, I was very, very, very angry, nervous because I [couldn't] speak English. All I [could] say was 'good morning' and 'good afternoon.' That's all."
ENDIEULA：“当我来到美国时，我非常生气和紧张，因为我不会讲英语。我会说的就只有早上好和下午好。”

Another student, Paul Alceste Zamor, graduated earlier this year. He received the highest possible score on the college-level Advanced Placement test in French. But it was not immediately clear whether he would gain the immigration status required to attend college in the United States.
另一名学生Paul Alceste Zamor今年早些时候已经毕业。他获得了法语大专层次的高等升学考试最高分。但目前尚不清楚他是否会获得进入美国大学所要求的移民身份。

PAUL ALCESTE ZAMOR: "I want to be a good surgeon, and then go back to Haiti to help people there."
PAUL ALCESTE ZAMOR：“我想成为一个好医生，然后再回到海地，以帮助那里的人民。”

Other Haitian students, including Kerby Edme, say they share that goal of helping Haiti.
包括Kerby Edme在内的其他海地学生称，帮助海地是他们共同的目标。

KERBY EDME: "Every Haitian, even [if] they weren't there when the earthquake happened, I think they have in mind to go [and be] successful and then do something for the country, even a little bit, because when it all comes together, it makes a big thing."
KERBY EDME：“每个海地人，即使他们没有经历国内的地震，我认为他们心里都希望取得成功，然后为国家做一些事，哪怕是一点点小事。因为众人拾材火焰高。”