Written by Victor Hugo Mendevil

As we begin to expand our collections at DAILP, our team also begins to grow. Our archive of Cherokee syllabary documents are translated by members of the Cherokee community and speakers of the Cherokee language, as well linguists, professors, students, and scholars from a range of fields. This multidisciplinary, inclusive approach to our team of scholars reflects our value of community in DAILP’s role as being an accessible learning tool for all.

We want you to get to know the dedicated people behind this project. How are they interacting with DAILP’s work directly in their own lives and communities? To that end, we’re pleased to announce our latest story series: DAILP Team Spotlights! 

This month, we sat down with core team member Hazelyn Aroian, a second-year CS and English student at Northeastern University. Hazelyn primarily works as DAILP’s Web Content Developer for Cherokees Writing the Keetoowah Way. She also contributes to many teams central to DAILP’s work, including creating the display for curricular materials online, annotating audio files, and working with Rust and SQL to migrate and store data within our database. 

In this spotlight, Hazelyn describes an important experience she had while at the UKB visit last May, in which the team discovered that the label for a mode of transcription did not accurately reflect the way that most native Cherokee speakers spoke the language. The experience struck Hazelyn, especially as a CS student: certain elements of design can initially seem like a small choice, but these carry important implications or risk assumptions that may not reflect the community accurately. From both technical and communicative points of view, she realized that the interface built between DAILP and UKB citizens is a key factor in the workflow pertaining to her own role at DAILP.

________

Can you describe what took place during the UKB visit? 

“During the UKB visit, we had one specific meeting where our development team was showing members various changes to the interface through which we display documents. Though at this point I wasn’t doing any work with the development team, I was paying close attention, since the conversation was relevant to the sort of work I’d hopefully be doing in the future. The team began having a discussion about which form of transcription we default to on the website for the Cherokee syllabary, and what we’ve chosen to label that specific form of transcription. A few members of the UKB brought up where exactly that form of transcription originated from and how it is much more common for Cherokee learners whose first language is English to pronounce words in that way rather than native Cherokee speakers who transcribe the syllabary. For example, take the difference between transliterating Cherokee ᏣᎳᎩ as tsalagi or jalagi. The former spelling is preferred by Cherokee speakers and learners who grew up with that spelling in their homes and communities. We realized we needed to relabel some dropdown menus in order to ensure the distinction was clear.”

What about this particular instance was meaningful to you? 

“As a CS major, this exchange really hammered home the fact that people who are developing software or structuring digital spaces, like our digital archive, need to have a very clear idea of the goal or desired outcome, significance, and context behind a project. It showed me how choices that may at first seem inconsequential, such as which mode to default to or what to call an option on a dropdown menu, can powerfully shape [the] beliefs visitors [to] our site may form.”

“I began to realize the type of attention to detail I would need to cultivate in order to accurately represent the intent behind a project.”

If you could choose ONE takeaway from this visit, what would it be and why do you think it’s an important takeaway? 

“…As someone writing code or developing a technical solution, a clear understanding of the problem, as well as the wider context of the problem, is essential. I think this is the biggest takeaway, since other takeaways– ways to work with the community in order to develop that wider context, the importance of workplace communication– are kind of informed by the process of gaining that understanding.”

The importance of technical development seems to be complex. What aspects on this front do you think are most important to consider when developing an interface like DAILP’s? 

“With DAILP in mind, I think it’s important to remember who our audience is, and the fact that we are designing our archive with the Cherokee community foremost, but we may also be reaching people who are unfamiliar with Cherokee language or culture.”

As a CS student, what aspects of technical development does DAILP succeed at, from your point of view? How does DAILP approach technical development differently compared to other places, in your experience?

“I really love how DAILP treats technical development as one very integrated component of a wider approach. Anyone who writes code for DAILP is encouraged to also contribute during wider team meetings when we discuss specific content or project strategy relating to community engagement… This creates a culture where people involved in technical aspects of the project are really thinking about those other aspects as well.”

“…we are developing an archive and interface to serve the wider community. So, it’s not only important that our team has a clear sense of the goal at hand, but that the community understands what options they have through the interface… and [know] our processes and the technology well enough to be empowered to speak up when changes should be made.”

As someone who has a hand in both spaces, what can you say about the relationship between technical development and content creation at DAILP? 

“Something that’s been really interesting to me as I’ve done work for both our content team and development team is recognizing how important accountability and transparency are to each team, [and] how we go about maintaining those common goals in slightly different ways. In terms of technical development, it may mean writing clear code that’s easily readable, efficient, and reusable. In terms of content, it means being precise either with visuals or words.

In both cases, it means giving credit where credit’s due– like figuring out how we can best credit community members for their work and contributions across our site or making sure to acknowledge each team member’s contribution to the code.”

Can you think of any other specific times while working at DAILP that have changed or layered your way of working/thinking? 

“Yes– I always really enjoy meetings where people come together to discuss DAILP strategies across various teams, in addition to events like the UKB visit. One recent meeting that comes to mind was one where we discussed the DAILP’s communication strategy– it really helped shape my understanding of communication about a project as a means both for engagement and accountability.”

You mention transparent communication as playing a pivotal role in developing engagement with our community members. Could you elaborate on what communication (or community) looks like to you? 

“I’ve found [that] I communicate best when I have a very clear understanding of how my work fits into the project overall, and I also appreciate how great DAILP is at valuing each individual’s work and really allowing individuals to gain that larger picture.”

“I’m really grateful for the way everyone at DAILP has been so supportive of me, [allowing me to] try different things in different areas of the project. This sort of openness has really influenced my beliefs on what a technical project should look like…”

As she continues her education and prepares to go on co-op next semester, Hazelyn remains deeply interested in questions related to ethics of technology. She looks forward to continuing work on DAILP’s Audio Team and Development Team this semester.