{"id":4131,"date":"2016-04-27T05:59:38","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T09:59:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/?p=4131"},"modified":"2020-10-01T14:04:53","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T18:04:53","slug":"why-language-matters-for-the-u-s-military","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2016\/04\/27\/why-language-matters-for-the-u-s-military\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Language Matters for the U.S. Military"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. is notoriously less language-capable than our allies and adversaries. This gap in training\u2014which can\u2019t adequately be filled by contract interpreters or machine translation\u2014results in unacceptable risk and limited opportunities.<\/p>\n

In an era of persistent conflict and powerful cooperation, the U.S. military is recognizing the need for better language capabilities across the spectrum. A Soldier at a traffic control point may need an arsenal of only a few dozen memorized words and phrases like \u201cStop.\u201d or \u201cI need to inspect your car.\u201d A Foreign Area Officer<\/a> advising foreign military officials or a Military Cryptologic Linguist<\/a> transcribing foreign communications must be far more effective in a language, at least a 3\/3\/3 on the ILR scale.<\/p>\n

In both scenarios, effective language training is paramount to a successful mission. Even the Government Accountability Office acknowledged<\/a> that \u201clanguage training is as important as marksmanship\u201d for modern-day service members to achieve a number of goals:<\/p>\n

Building International Partnerships<\/strong><\/p>\n

The U.S. military isn\u2019t always focused on \u201cthe enemy\u201d. More often, military leaders are communicating with partner nations and organizations. Did you know the U.S. contributes troops and military advisers to UN peacekeeping missions worldwide, from national security reform in Liberia to natural disaster relief in Haiti? The U.S. military also responds to natural disasters worldwide, most recently assisting in rescue efforts<\/a> after the earthquakes in Japan in April 2016. Military linguists trained in Japanese were crucial in coordinating the two forces.<\/p>\n

Army officer Morgan Smiley explained the importance of building partnerships to TIME magazine<\/a>, saying language skills \u201cmay lead to more effective and efficient techniques for building the capacity of our current and future partners and reduce the need for deployments of robust US forces.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"US<\/a>

\u201cLanguage Lessons\u201d by U.S. Army Europe on Flickr.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0.<\/p><\/div>\n

Gaining Local Support<\/strong><\/p>\n

For overseas missions, both peacekeeping efforts and wartime deployments, troops need to operate within the local culture. History indicates that support of the local population is critical to mission success. Language training prepares troops to communicate with locals and be sensitive to their culture.<\/p>\n

Lt. Col. John Newman\u00a0recognized<\/a> that the military cannot \u201cforce the American model on another country; we want to work within their culture. By understanding their language and culture, we\u2019re able to do things that don\u2019t offend them, can achieve goals by avoiding conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"US<\/a>

\u201cTop enlisted U.S. Army Africa Soldiers lecture in Ethiopia 090724\u201d by US Army Africa on Flickr.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0.<\/p><\/div>\n

Supporting Other Federal Agencies<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) is the military\u2019s premier culture-based language school, providing instruction in more than two dozen languages. What many don\u2019t know is that the center trains military linguists to serve other federal agencies, including the DEA and FBI,\u00a0to whom language skills are equally critical.<\/p>\n

\"US<\/a>

\u201cGeorgia AG team sharpens language skills, prepares for Afghanistan\u201d by Georgia National Guard https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/ganatlguard\/5394228190 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.<\/p><\/div>\n

To achieve these goals, none of the traditional substitutes for personal proficiency (machine translation, contract interpreters, etc.) can achieve what is needed for a leading world power in military, diplomacy, intelligence, and security. Despite the overwhelming need, the risk to America\u2019s language programs is very real. That\u2019s why Transparent Language is transforming the economics of language learning<\/a> to provide more reliable, effective, and cost-efficient language training to U.S. military members<\/a>*.<\/p>\n

To learn more about our work and what we\u2019ve learned along the way, download our new white paper: What We Know and Believe about Materially Improving the Economics, Logistics, and Reliability of Language Training and Sustainment in USG<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"eBook<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

The U.S. is notoriously less language-capable than our allies and adversaries. This gap in training\u2014which can\u2019t adequately be filled by contract interpreters or machine translation\u2014results in unacceptable risk and limited opportunities. In an era of persistent conflict and powerful cooperation, the U.S. military is recognizing the need for better language capabilities across the spectrum. A…<\/p>\n

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