Author Topic: Found in Translation: Bolster U.S. Coalition Warfighting by Fixing the Linguist Shortfall  (Read 139 times)

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Online rangerrebew

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Found in Translation: Bolster U.S. Coalition Warfighting by Fixing the Linguist Shortfall
January 28, 2025 Guest Author Leave a comment
Notes to the New Administration Week

By Benjamin Van Horrick

A dire shortage of Asian operation linguists in the First Island Chain hinders the United States’ capability to deter Chinese aggression. The joint force’s campaigns depend on strengthening regional partners and fighting as coalitions. Operational linguists act as interpreters and translators, forge trust, assist with planning, and enable the execution of coalition operations. Since language is culture, linguists also inform and educate the commands about the host nation’s cultural and social nuances, such as those that can affect operational integration. However, the present number of operational linguists in the Pacific is already insufficient for regular peacetime campaigning, let alone for crisis or war. The new administration can fix the problem and add more operational linguists in the Pacific before the operational need becomes a damaging shortfall.

The difficulty of Northeast Asian languages, coupled with the steep learning curve associated with translating for and working with military units, makes recruiting cleared, contracted linguists an urgent operational requirement. As America expanded operations in southern Afghanistan, the shortage of Dari and Pashtun linguists hindered operations. Coupled with the rapid advancement of PRC capabilities and the joint force’s increasing operational tempo in the Pacific, now is ideal for building a deep bench of Asian language linguists. The exercises in Korea, Thailand, Japan, and the Philippines are growing more complex and ambitious. These operations increasingly depend on accurate translations to meet exercise objectives, mitigate risk, and strengthen alliances.

https://cimsec.org/found-in-translation-bolster-u-s-coalition-warfighting-by-fixing-the-linguist-shortfall/
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
Thomas Jefferson

Online rangerrebew

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Operational linguists act as interpreters and translators, forge trust, assist with planning, and enable the execution of coalition operations. Since language is culture, linguists also inform and educate the commands about the host nation’s cultural and social nuances, such as those that can affect operational integration.                    pointing-up       

                                   American 
                                                             
 These operations increasingly depend on accurate translations to meet exercise objectives, mitigate risk, and strengthen alliances.


Our culture is a mess.

All studies of American education indicate a downward trend in everything.  As a former teacher I can assure anyone reading this, today's HS graduates do not have the grasp of the English language as they use to let a alone a foreign language.  The military has steadily downgraded recruiting standards allowing even less language abled people to enter.  HS junkies who probably didn't accurately hear much in their English classes are allowed.

All I'm suggesting is the military needs to make sure its people understand what is said, taught, and expected.  There may be the need for vocabulary classes in boot camp and people can stay in bootcamp until they test out.  There are way too many things in the military that go boom and could be triggered by mistakes of language.  Just like at Pearl Harbor, those things that go boom can kill a lot of civilians too.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2025, 03:36:14 pm by rangerrebew »
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
Thomas Jefferson

Online rangerrebew

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The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
Thomas Jefferson