diff --git a/src/js/async.fnk b/src/js/async.fnk
index e3bf8a9..65a4bd0 100644
--- a/src/js/async.fnk
+++ b/src/js/async.fnk
@@ -2,17 +2,14 @@
 {isArrowFunctionExpression, isFunctionExpression} = import '@babel/types'
 
 
-assign = Object.assign
-
-
 transform_async = fn path:
   # TODO: should avoid mutating nodes
   match path:
     isArrowFunctionExpression:: ?:
-      path.node assign {async: true}
+      Object.assign:: path.node, {async: true}
 
     isFunctionExpression:: ?:
-      path.node assign {async: true}
+      Object.assign:: path.node, {async: true}
 
     {parentPath: {}}:
       transform_async:: path.parentPath
diff --git a/src/lang/literals/string.test.fnk b/src/lang/literals/string.test.fnk
index d41a309..c0a911a 100644
--- a/src/lang/literals/string.test.fnk
+++ b/src/lang/literals/string.test.fnk
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ describe:: 'string', fn:
   it:: 'compiles tagged template string', fn:
     expect::
       fink2js`
-        str = foo'bar \${spam ni shrub} na'
+        str = foo'bar \${ni:: spam, shrub} na'
       `
       to_match_snapshot