A song, poem, or prayer can be transformed when it is translated into another language. By translating the classic Beatles song, “Blackbird” into Mi’kmaq , Canadian teen and fluent Mi’kmaq speaker Emma Stevens learned many new things. Emma acquired new vocabulary, learned more about song writing, and explored the intricacies of translation as she worked closely with several of her teachers who assisted with this project. Music teacher Carter Chiasson worked with Emma and her classmates to prepare and record their rendition of the song. They did so to honor the International Year of Indigenous Languages, launched in January of 2019 by the United Nations. The students and their teachers hope Paul McCartney will listen to their Mi’kmaq version and now the rest of the world can too.
Beautiful Rendition of a Classic Song: “Blackbird” Sung in Mi’kmaq
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