From CNN.com:

“It might sound like a punch line, as “Ebonics” — the common name for what linguists call African-American English — has long been the butt of jokes, as well as the subject of controversy.
But the agency is serious about needing nine people to translate conversations picked up on wiretaps during investigations, Special Agent Michael Sanders said Tuesday. A solicitation was sent to contractors as part of a request to companies to provide hundreds of translators in 114 languages.”

OK, now, let me just stop this right here. Is this a PR stunt or something? Ebonics has always been the subject of controversy. Don’t even get me started on the topic of whether or not ebonics should be taught in schools as a legit language.

But now, the federal government is looking for people who can listen to wiretaps, translate the language and testify in court, if necessary. The DEA has a need for people who can understand ebonics. They argue that it’s no different than someone who has a strong regional dialect from, say, the South. Certain words, phrases and pronunciations are unique and cannot be understood by someone who isn’t familiar with it.

I get it, I guess. I just don’t like it.
Read the full article here.