Reclassing to a 35P. 127 on DLAB. Good on TS. I'd like to know a few things. 1. What are the odds of getting the language I want or do they assign them according to the needs of the ARMY and how well I scored on DLAB. 2. Does the language I learn effect where I will be stationed. ie. Japanese goes to Japan, Korean goes to Korea. If so, what about the other languages like Chinese, Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese. How will those languages play a part in my duty. 3. Will i actually be doing my job or will I be tasked out for everything else, while my language skills deteriorate. 4. I have more questions, but if you can answer those top three I'd like to get in contact with you personally to find out the rest. THANKS
1. Supposedly there is way to get the language you want. Personally, I have never seen it done, but there is a way. They are assigned according to the needs of the Army, and are supposed to be based on DLAB. However, some people with high scores still might not get a Cat IV language. 2. Where you went used to be highly dependent on your language, but with the military in so many areas right now as well as the entire mismanagement of Army linguists you could go anywhere. Korean linguists in Germany, Arabic linguists in Korea, and so on. 3. Very likely the latter unless you go to a unit that takes care of its linguists, which unfortunately is rare. I have luckily been to two units that are in the middle and give you a month-5 week refresher once a year.
Nothing is typical in the military. Anyone can go anywhere at anytime. I had a Serb linguist friend who was going to one unit where he would sit at a desk all day using his language only to find out when the plane landed everything changed and he took a 3 hour bus ride to another unit that just needed bodies to deploy. So there is no rhyme or reason. DLI is in a lot of cases a complete waste of the Army's money due to the fact of what happens afterwards with these linguists.
If you scored a 127, you will get a CAT IV language. That means, you will get Korean, Arabic, or Chinese. There aren't a lot of Chinese slots. If you are given the choice, I'd go with Arabic. It's more useful to most Army units.
Chinese linguists are often sent to Hawaii, and Korean ones to Korea. But you could also be sent to practically any Brigade Combat Team, language immaterial. If you are sent to a BCT, your experiences may vary, but the focus is generally NOT on language maintenance, even if you are an Arabic linguist scheduled to deploy (they will just expect you to be good in the language because you once graduated from DLI!) There will be a fair number of details and administrative things, since you are an NCO. But it's possible you'll be sent to a non-deploying unit somewhere and do more language stuff (though again, as an NCO, there will be admin stuff.)
Wrong - a particular score does NOT mean you WILL get a Cat IV language. I have seen people at DLI with scores ranging from 125 to 137 placed in French and Spanish while some individuals with scores of 100 placed in Persian Farsi. Four Words: NEEDS OF THE ARMY
A score does NOT GUARANTEE a particular language.
And MSA (Arabic) would not prove useful to deploying units to OIF because the coursework isn't structured for Iraq. As someone deployed with Arabic Linguists who score 2+ 2+ 2 on the DLPT, they can tell you they pick up bits and pieces of conversations however not enough to hold a conversation.
Best case scenario is you get Korean and go to Korea, get Farsi and deploy to Western or Southern Afghanistan or Spanish and be sent to South America - that is, if you're interest is gaining a language and having an opportunity to use it.
The Korean, Chinese, Serbo-Croatian, Russian linguist I am currently deployed with don't have the opportunity to work on their language skills
Korean linguists who score 2+/2+ will similarly have no idea what is going on if they hear actual Koreans talking. Farsi will help little in Afghanistan, as their version of it, Dari, is non-standard, and you are likely to wind up in Pashtu territory anyways. They do offer Pashtu and even Dari now, I believe, at DLI.
DLI is very good at teaching formal Arabic. It is less good at teaching it how it is actually spoken. It has only recently taken steps to address Iraqi dialect. Having said that, being an Arabic linguist has its uses if you are doing analyst work in Iraq. If nothing else, you are quality control/triage (sorting the useless from the possibly useful.) You are also familiar with Arabic naming customs.
If you are lucky enough to get a strategic assignment, you will actually learn to understand informal dialectal Arabic, on the job, full-time, all day, for however long you serve there. Those guys know their stuff. But I think tactical analysis is more interesting.
As someone who has deployed to Afghanistan with Farsi linguists, I can tell you the opportunity apprised to them was an invaluable chance to spot check their own linguists and hear firsthand what was being spoken. People are deployed to areas where Dari is spoken, anyways.
Arabic linguists in the Army sent to Iraq will play second fiddle to overpaid US citizens with language skills.
Originally posted by Joughin: As someone who has deployed to Afghanistan with Farsi linguists, I can tell you the opportunity apprised to them was an invaluable chance to spot check their own linguists and hear firsthand what was being spoken. People are deployed to areas where Dari is spoken, anyways.
Arabic linguists in the Army sent to Iraq will play second fiddle to overpaid US citizens with language skills.
Which is why I got the opportunity to cross-train to Signals Intelligence Analyst. Not a bad deal, really.
I have personally put in a Russian Linguist into the Active Duty Army. He deploys next month to IRAQ yes that is right....IRAQ. He will basically be doing analyst work once in country, since the need for Russian language translation is very limited.
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