SOUVNI ON THE MIKE

 SOUVNI ON THE MIKE PODCAST

AI Does Not Always Know What It’s Talking About

I began this research while preparing content for my radio show, Souvni on the Mike, which airs every Friday night on Radio Konpa WLQY 1320 AM in South Florida. The show is also available as a podcast, and this particular episode—Creole Truth Bombs – Verite Sou Tanbou—was later added to the podcast feed at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2571746. I wanted to explore the expressions that carry our culture’s soul, the phrases that refuse to be translated, the words that only make sense if you’ve lived Haiti in your bones. So I turned to AI, curious to see what it “knew.”

At first, I expected the voice of a professor—someone shaped by years of study, cultural immersion, and linguistic mastery. Instead, what I encountered was something else entirely: a confident but incomplete answer, polished on the surface yet missing the heartbeat of the language I grew up speaking. That moment revealed something important. AI is not a wise elder. It is not a scholar. It is not a keeper of culture. AI is more like a teenager—bright, eager, quick to speak, and even quicker to repeat whatever it has heard, without always understanding where those words come from.

This realization reminded me of a moment years ago, when my daughter was sitting quietly in class at a Christian school. A little girl beside her suddenly pushed her and said, “Get away from me, brown girl.” My daughter hadn’t done anything. She was simply sitting there. That child wasn’t born with prejudice. She was repeating what she had absorbed from the adults around her. AI works the same way. It learns from the data it is fed, the voices it hears, the biases it absorbs. If its teachers are limited, biased, or disconnected from lived experience, then the AI will be too. It will speak confidently, but not always truthfully. It will answer boldly, but not always wisely.

Our conversation about Creole revealed this in real time. When I asked about the most difficult Creole phrase to translate, the AI gave me poetic answers—phrases like mwen la or se konsa lavi ye. Beautiful, yes. But not what I meant. I wasn’t asking about emotional nuance. I was asking about the kind of phrase that cannot be translated because the concept itself does not exist in English. So I pushed deeper. I brought up biskèt, not the cracker, but the body part—a word rooted in Haitian labor, Haitian pain, Haitian anatomy of survival. The AI didn’t know it. It tried to guess. It tried to adapt. But it didn’t know.

And that was the point.

As we continued, I explained that biskèt tonbe is not about fear or weakness, as many diaspora Haitians might assume. It is a phrase used by porters, charyo men, market workers—people who lift coal, push carts, carry sacks of rice and cement. When they say biskèt mwen tonbe, they are describing the toll of a lifetime of physical labor: back injuries, herniated discs, degenerative conditions, chronic musculoskeletal pain. They are describing a body that has been worked past its limit. English has no single phrase for that. AI had no concept for it. And that gap—between what AI “knows” and what Haitians live—became the heart of our discussion.

As I explained the difference between French‑influenced Creole and Creole rèk, the AI admitted something important: it learns mostly from diaspora voices, from young Haitians raised in the U.S., from written Creole shaped by French and English. It rarely hears the Creole of the lakou, the market, the mountains, the charyo men, the elders—the Creole that carries the soul of Haiti. Those people do not write on forums. They do not upload documents. They do not feed the internet with their language. And so AI never hears them.

That is why AI can sound fluent yet still be culturally deaf. It can speak Creole without knowing Haiti.

By the end of our conversation, the AI understood something deeper: it is not a professor. It is not a master of culture. It is a student—quick, curious, and dependent on the people who teach it. And that is why AI education matters. Not just the algorithms, but the voices that shape it. If AI learns from prejudice, it will repeat prejudice. If it learns from shallow sources, it will give shallow answers. If it learns only from diaspora Creole, it will never understand Creole rèk. AI reflects its teachers, just like that little girl reflected the words she heard at home.

This conversation reminded me that technology is not wise on its own. It becomes wise only when guided by people who carry real knowledge—people who lived the language, the culture, the pain, the humor, the history. People like us. People who know that biskèt tonbe is not a metaphor, but a story of labor, survival, and the body’s breaking point. People who understand that some meanings cannot be Googled—they must be lived.

AI does not always know what it’s talking about.
But when we teach it—patiently, honestly, and with cultural truth—it can learn.
And maybe, one day, it will speak not just with confidence, but with understanding.

I can't figure out how to submit my question, but I want to know. What do I do when a sentence ends in a preposition? Like "What do you want us to pray for?". How do I say that in Creole?

 Hi I would recommend to not translate these sentences literally, if you did it would be like comparing apples and oranges. It's a completely different concept.

Sentence:                What do you want us to pray for?

Translation:                Pou kisa ou ta renmen nou priye?

How it's translated:     For what would like us to pray?

 

Other examples:

Sentence:                    Who are you going with?

Translation:                    Avèk kimoun ou prale.

How it's translated:        With whome you're going

 

Sentence:                            Which store did you buy it from?

Translation:                        Nan ki magazen ou te achte li?

How it's translated:            From which store did you buy it?

 

Sentence:                            She is the person I voted for

Translation:                        Li se moun mwen te vote pou li a

How it's translated               She is the person I voted for

 

 

 

Hey Mandi, can you place this on site with examples... that question about tineg meaning 'self' or something like that.

 Hi. I think I answered this somewhere on the site.

The word in question is 'tinèg'. And the author used it in a sentence like this: 'Depi kat jou tinèg pa dòmi, tinèg fin kaba, pa gen lespwa pou tinèg....'

Yes, when he says 'tinèg' he was talking about himself. 

In the way he wrote it you could translate as 'I', but you can only translate like that in the story.

Sometimes when people talk about themselves, they might say 'tinèg'. People don't usually do that. 

See you in June, Les Grenadiers D'Haiti!!!

 Les Grenadiers pour Haiti, World Cup 2026. Will you be there with the Haitian flag?!

Grenadiers sou teren an

Grenadiers, men foutbòl la

Ann ale sou teren an

 

Leve tèt anwo, ou deja rive

Peyi a sou do w, men pa enkyete 

Ou te mèt pran so, ou deja ganye

Men yon dènye mo, ou ban nou fyète

 

Ekip dyanm

Ekip djougan

Ekip anfòm

Ekip kòdyòm

 

Sou teren foutbòl pa gen lòt pase w

Yo te mèt byen fò, yo pa sa trible w

Kon gadyen pan vòl, foul la rele

 

Choute Boul la

Teke Boul la

Mate Boul la

Fè gòl a Boul la

 

Pase Boul la

Make Boul la

Kenbe Boul la

Balanse Boul la

~Mandaly

 

 

 

 

 

DRAPO AYISYEN

 

Hello 2026!

 Bòn Ane 2026!

Se bon tan pou rekalibre.

Yon pye devan, you pye dèyè. 

Kontinye mache nòmal.

Kontinye rechèch espirityèl ou.

Pou kore nanm ou, pou pa chape.

Bonjou! kisa blofè, blanchisè, sousèdsan yo vle di?

Blofè - someone who is deceiving, telling bluffs and such

Blanchisè - avaricious, extortionist

Sousèdsan - someone who exploits other people, an opportunist

I wanted to ask this question in Creole, 'couman Haitian celebrate Thanksgiving?' How do they celebrate this holiday in Haitian

It's not a Haitian holiday. Haitian living in the US celebrate it just the same way Americans do. There's usually some side dishes from Haitian cuisine, but the main dish remain the turkey, even though some Haitians may cut it up into a 'TASO'.

Have you been having any pain?

Have you been having any pain?

Èske ou konn gen doulè?

Do you have Pain?

Èske ou gen doulè?

Èske w gen doulè?

 

What's hurting you?

Sa k ap fè w mal?

What kind of pain do you have?

Ki kalite doulè ou genyen?

Can you describe the pain?

Èske w ka di m ki kalite doulè li ye?

Show me where the pain is?

Montre m kote doulè a ye?

Show me where you hurt.

Montre mwen ki kote ki ap fè ou mal.

Montre m ki kote k ap fè w mal

How do you say "we broke up" in a dating relationship. I've used we're not together, but wondering if there is a better way to say it?

People say: Nou kite. (We broke up)

Also:            Nou pa renmen ankò (We're not in love anymore)

                    Nou pa ansanm ankò (we're nt together anymore)

Is foskouch the correct term for a miscarriage? I am volunteering at a birthcenter and wondering what term is most appropriate? Before 20 weeks saying "your baby died" doesn't seem correct as the women don't seem to see it as a baby yet. "Lost pregnancy" doesn't seem right either. Thanks for all the work you put into this webpage...it's an amazing resource! Mesi anpil!

Hello, sorry for the late reply.

Yes 'foskouch' is the correct term for a miscarriage.

Thanks

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

At this site, you wrote a construction that I am having trouble understanding........

At this site, you wrote a construction that I am having trouble understanding: http://sweetcoconuts.blogspot.com/2015/09/wap-twouble-sante-m.html

"Jouk kote sante w ye a pou w ap kite moun twouble l, mezanmi o!"

I understand it's some sort of joke, but I can't figure out what you're actually saying, and my Haitian friends can't seem to explain it. Can you translate it into English and help me understand? 

Mandaly says:

Oh man! you are right. It is indeed kind of hard to explain :)

Jouk kote - the way it used here, usual means far, separate, apart, unrelated, in a peaceful corner away from the chaos

Literally:

Jouk kote    | sante w ye a   | pou w | kite  | moun    | twouble | l   mezanmi o! |

So far away | your health is  | for you to let | people | disturb it  | wow! |

It will be translated as: Wow! Why are you letting people disturb your health when it is isolated or unrelated to whatever the cintext of the conversation was

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Hi Mandaly! I have two phrases that I wanted to know the meaning of: "Nan kad lit" and "espas an Plennè"............

Hi Mandaly! I have two phrases that I wanted to know the meaning of: "Nan kad lit" and "espas an Plennè". It is from the title of a news article about Covid-19. "Eske li Nesesè pou Moun Dezenfekte Espas an Plennè yo nan Kad Lit Kont Kowonaviris la?" I assume Espas an Plennè means wide open spaces, but I am not sure about the second one.

Hi,

Yes, anplennè or an plennè means outdoors, or open spaces

Nan kad lit kont - kad (french: cadre) means frame; lit (french: lutte) means fight, struggle; kont (french: contre) means agaisnt. -   It means 'regarding or concerning the fight against .....'

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Hi! thanks for all the content, its really helpfull. Im trying to find some novels or books in Creole to practice, but i cant find any. Do you know where i can find any books?

Have you tried Educavision.com
Sometimes if there is a specific book you need, they may be able to order it for you.
Thanks
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Is there a creole word for a "player" or "womanizer". Like a guy who has a lot of women ect.

kourè jip
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

could you explain the uses for the word "ladan"? I've been told it means "in it," but it doesn't seem to be the case all the time

ladan / ladann - in it (yes!), in there, in that, sometimes expression for not being involved

Kèlkeswa sa k ap pase ant de (2) moun sa yo pa antre ladan.
Whatever is goign on between this two don't get into it

M pa t ladan. - I was not involved in it

Yo mete m ladan - they got me involved it

Pa mete m ladan - Don't get me involved in this





Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Hi! I hope you and your family are safe. I have 2 things I would like to know. What does the expression means "zombi mandé gouté, li pa mandé rété". And what does "abolotcho" means? Have a good one!!! Thanks

Thanks. You be safe too.
"Zonbi goute sèl li pa mande rete" - Once you get a taste of something good, you can't stop doing it.
(The back story is that zonbies do not eat salt, that's why they remain zonbies. But once they get a taste of something salty, then they realize that they've been missing out on being real human :)

Abolotcho - trouble, grief, or you are curse, also could mean a troublemaker

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How to say in haitian creole "about to" as we say: "I'm about to go buy something" and also "I was about to go buy something".

This can be expressed with 'pare', 'pral' or 'te pral' / 't ap pral'

I'm about to go buy something - M ap pare pou m al achte yon bagay.
I was about to buy something - M t a pral achte yon bagay/ M t ap pare pou m al achte yon bagay.
I was about to call you - M t a pral rele w.
She was about to get in the car - Li t a pral antre nan machin nan.
We were about to leave you beehind- Nou t ap pare pou n kite w dèyè.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Hi Mandaly, How do you say that someone is "shacking up" a term that means you're living with someone you're in a relationship with, but you're not married

We say plase, is you really want to be technical.