Become Marine Translator, See the World

[Tonitrus]

Not sure "raw" intelligence has anything to do with learning languages.

Back at school, I knew very smart people who struggled, and some very dumb kids who could pick up a language with no problem.

[Neil]

The US has been in Afghanistan and Iraq for many years. Surely they have trained a lot of 21 yo fit translators?

Of course not.  Smart people who are capable of learning new languages don't sign up for the Army.  And why would real translators want to join the Army anyways?

I'm smart, I speak 3 and 1/2 languages, and I joined the Army.

Stop stereotyping.

You're not smart, and Hebrew isn't a real language.

[Neil]

spleel

6 million dead Jews = no bagels, bad Yiddish. 

It's actually German, not Yiddish.

[Josquius]

Not sure "raw" intelligence has anything to do with learning languages.

Back at school, I knew very smart people who struggled, and some very dumb kids who could pick up a language with no problem.

Yeah, language learning is quite different to other learning.
With languages it really is a case of just needing to put in the time. Just see those countries where practically everyone speaks two or three languages.

[Berkut]

So it is well known that companies that recruit people to work for the US military are evil?

I assume that includes the hundreds of companies that provide services for the US military, like running the cafeteria or PX?

I don't know. How do they recruit people?
Do they follow this spleel of insisting you're going nowhere near action then going back on it or are they completely up front?
My comment came about because recruiters for actual US military positions are known to have a reputation for such stuff as well.

I am asking you - you are the one who claims that there is some well known repuattion for such things. Personally, this is the first time I have ever heard of it, so I would like to have the some sources of such "well known" examples that you have.

Since there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of companies that hire people to do work for the military, I am guessing that there must be a similarly large number of examples of these companies and their evil recruiting practices...right? Presumably, I could just pick any one at random and have a pretty good chance that they are evil...

[Berkut]

So if they have enough Level 1 and 2 people, it's just a failure of their skills management, namely not educating enough of their soldiers in important foreign languages?

I doubt it makes that much sense to bring in a bunch of 18 year olds with various levels of enthusiasm, teach them to be soldiers, and then teach them a foriegn language. By the time they are done learning their service period will be half over.

It is probably more cost effective to just shell out big bucks for people that already know the language.

I imagine it is both - and something as specific as a foreign language is rather hard to justify teaching a recruit, although it almost certainly happens.

My father spent his time in Vietnam flying around in a small plane listening in on NVA radio comms. He did not know Vietnamese before he went in, but got sent to the Presidio for 6 months to learn. Although I guess the amount you need to know to do what he did is vastly less than knowing enough to go communicate in a face to face discussion with Pashtun tribal leaders or whatever.

Seems like we will have a need for Afghan language skills for a long time though.

[Josquius]

I am asking you - you are the one who claims that there is some well known repuattion for such things. Personally, this is the first time I have ever heard of it, so I would like to have the some sources of such "well known" examples that you have.

Since there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of companies that hire people to do work for the military, I am guessing that there must be a similarly large number of examples of these companies and their evil recruiting practices...right? Presumably, I could just pick any one at random and have a pretty good chance that they are evil...