b"A Voice for Others:bilingual connectionsBy Debra YoungFor as long as she can remember Miriam Berrouet,HOW IT ALL STARTEDownerandoperatorofBilingualConnections,saysWhenshewasineighthgradeMiriamsaysher shehasbeenfascinatedwithlanguages,culture,familymovedtoGermanywhereherfatherwas andpeople.MiriambelievesshehasaGod-givenstationed. At age 14, Miriam returned to the US and talentforlanguageswhichbeganherfreshmanyearinhigh sheattributestoherHaitianschool.Shedescribesherselfas Americanbackground-herdadanoutlierinschoolbecauseshe isfromJacmel,andhermomhad a funny last name and took isfromPort-au-Prince,Haiti.allAPclasses.ItookFrench, HerparentscametotheUnitedSpanish, and German all at once Stateswhenherdadjoinedand did very well in those classes, theUSmilitaryin1963.Shesheboasted.Aftergraduating chucklesassherecallslearninghighschool,Miriamattended aboutimmigrantsandgreenCoastalCarolinaUniversityin cardsinhersixth-gradeworldConway, SC where she continued historyclass.Miriamsaidattoexcel,graduatingwitha dinnerherfatheralwaysaskedBachelorofSciencedegreein herandherbrotherwhattheyMarketingwithspecialemphasis learned in school each day.BarelyinForeignLanguages(French, maintaininghercomposure,SpanishandGerman).Whilea whenherturncame,Miriamstudent at Coastal she remembers enthusiasticallyasked,Didbeing told by another student that youknowtherearepeoplewhoshedidwellinFrenchbecause havegreencards,andtheymustshespeaksFrench.Shesaysshequicklyreminded have them on them all the time?She recalls beinghimthathespokeEnglishandaskedhim doyou amazedwhenbothherparentstoldhertheyhadget straight As in English? That encounter helped green cards, and says she was disappointed when herinspire Miriam to start Bilingual Connections.request to take them to school was denied.Even though both her parents are from Haiti, MiriamWhile working as director of the Hispanic Business pointed out that they are from different regions andCenterforHorryGeorgetownTechnicalCollege have different accents.Her moms Parisian accent isprovidingtranslationandotherservicesandhaving thicker than her dad's and she recalls that wheneverworked in the community developing curriculum and theywentoutpeoplewouldhearhermomsaccentinterpretingfordifferentorganizations,Idecidedif andquicklysaytheydidntunderstandher. MomI can do it for Tech, I can do it for myself, Miriam actuallyspokeEnglishmoregrammaticallycorrectexplained.MiriamspeaksEnglish,Spanishand thanmostAmericans,butuponhearinganaccentFrenchfluentlyandshealsospeaksconversational theywouldimmediatelysayIdontunderstand,HaitianCreole.So,itwasnosurprisein2008 Miriam sighed.So, as a young girl, Miriam says shethatMiriamdecidedtoofficiallylaunchBilingual became her moms interpreter.Little did she knowConnections. When she initially started her business, that this was a precursor to Bilingual Connections.she took a workshop and written test in Spanish and English through the SC Court Administration that 18IMARA"