For its 40th anniversary, the Direct Dutch Institute invited students, staff, and friends to translate their favourite text into Dutch. The prompt was simple: choose words you wish to share with others because these texts hold a special place in your heart.

The result is Dicht Nederlands met mij! — an anthology in which emotions transcend all boundaries.

What is inside

The translators have succeeded in conveying and making tangible the nuances of homesickness, comfort, reverence, loneliness, sacrifice, indignation, longing, and even the inexpressible. Each poem arrives in Dutch carrying the weight and texture of its original language and culture.

The collection is a direct expression of Direct Dutch's philosophy: language is more than communication. It is the key to culture, to understanding how other people see the world, and to finding common ground across backgrounds.

Why poetry?

Direct Dutch has run a thriving reading club for non-native speakers for about fifteen years. Through reading Dutch literature, non-native speakers learn vocabulary, idiom, and much about Dutch culture. For the anniversary, they turned the concept around: instead of Dutch people introducing their literature to internationals, internationals would introduce their favourite poems to Dutch readers.

The editors carefully reviewed each translation, discussing ambiguities with the translators. The process was collaborative, resulting in translations that both the translator and editors were satisfied with — no AI, no automated translation, just human engagement with language.

How to order

Dicht Nederlands met mij! is available in the Direct Dutch Shop. The book began shipping on Monday, March 23, 2026.

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