Taking language courses

[Guest ShortThrow]

Do most bases offer language courses? If not, are there any options for officers to learn a 'high value' language besides on their own time?

Thanks

[jcollins]

https://soc.maxwell.af.mil/rosetta.htm

[Guest Brewdog]

It's common overseas to have classes in the local language but stateside I never was at a base that had classes. You might want to check the websites of local colleges around your duty station but it's hard to find colleges that teach some of the 'high value' languages.

[Guest ShortThrow]

Say I ended up in Intel. and spoke enough Farsi to get around an Iranian town, does the AF have a language school for people? Like with the CIA they schooling for agents who are going to focus on a particular region/language, anything like that with the AF?

[Guest dachit]

There is a joint language school called the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. I know they offer full immersion courses in any language you can think of, but I'm not sure on how to get picked up for a program. I am almost certain that they will only send you if it's related to your career field. Here is the website.

https://www.monterey.army.mil/units/311trs/index.htm

[Guest Hydro130]

Monterey is the language school for all the services. For instance, if you get picked up to be an exchange officer, you go to Monterey first (unless already certified in that language).

You can't just go to Monterey for shytes and giggles; there must exist a specific job requirement directing it.

Regardless of whether you are Intel or not, Farsi (like any foreign language) is something you can officially qualify in if you can already speak it well. They may use your services as a translator at some point, but don't plan on going to Iran itself for some kind of secret squirrel stuff as a USAF intel bubba - they don't do that sorta thing.

But knowing a language is always a good thing - you never know when it'll come in handy. One of the UH-1 pilots at Yokota grew up in Indonesia with his missionary parents; I don't recall if he was on the books as an officially qualified Indonesian linguist, but he spoke it fluently. He was one of the first guys to leave Yok for the tsunami relief efforts, and got to travel around during that period to some amazing places to help with much-needed translating. He had some unbelievable stories of where he went and what he saw... Crazy stuff.

Cheers, Hydro

[Guest ShortThrow]

Thanks for all the help so far.

Originally posted by Hydro130:

but don't plan on going to Iran itself for some kind of secret squirrel stuff as a USAF intel bubba - they don't do that sorta thing.

Oh I know, I'm just trying to make myself appealing or 'marketable', if you will, for any opportunities that may arise while in the AF or after.

[ 16. January 2007, 16:30: Message edited by: Tertle ]

[M2]

Tertle

If you have questions about language proficiency in the USAF, PM me. A good bud of mine is the Command Language Officer for AIA...

Cheers! M2

[Guest acmaster]

Active Duty and Civilians assigned to an an AETC base get free access for 2 years to learn any of the 30 languages offered by Rosetta Stone.

You can pick up an application for this program at your base library.

[Guest ShortThrow]

Yeah I saw that in a link posted here. I already have rosetta stone for the two languages I'm sort of studying though. I guess I just like classroom structure more.

[Guest acmaster]

The link posted previously is only for CGOs.

[JVBFLY]

Originally posted by Hydro130:

They may use your services as a translator at some point, but don't plan on going to Iran itself for some kind of secret squirrel stuff as a USAF intel bubba - they don't do that sorta thing.

As far as you know...right?

[Guest Hydro130]

Originally posted by JVBFLY:

As far as you know...right?

[Herk Driver]

Originally posted by Hydro130:

but don't plan on going to Iran itself for some kind of secret squirrel stuff as a USAF intel bubba - they don't do that sorta thing.

True enough, but you never know when you might be flying into Iran to carry relief supplies for a major earthquake disaster and having a Farsi speaker on your airplane could be the best thing since sliced bread. Wierder things have happened.

Herks deliver relief supplies to Iran

[Guest Hydro130]

Noted. Like the one I mentioned above, the Iran earthquake situation is another excellent example of linguist skills can come in unexpectedly handy.

I was at The Deid during that whole thing. My scheduled mission to go in was cancelled after the skycop decided to walk around the Bam ramp with his M-16 strapped. That was the end of Bam relief flights; I was bummed I didn't get to go in there.

Tertle has clarified that he only mentioned the Iranian town in his post earlier as a example of language proficiency, not as a possible job goal as an Intel guy. Before his clarification, that wasn't clear to me, so I just wanted to make sure he knew that line USAF Intel folks wouldn't (under most circumstances) be the spy bubbas who may or may not be boots on the ground in Iran.

However, Herk Driver & I are saying the same thing I think. If you have linguist skills regardless of your primary J-O-B, it very well may open up some unique and unforeseen opportunities.

Cheers, Hydro

[Guest Herk CP]

You can also use Tuition Assistance to pay for a degree in a foreign language. The AF will even pay for a second bachelor's (or classes toward it) or a second master's degree if you already have one, as long as the degree is in a language.

The Rosetta Stone program is great. I am currently studying French now. The AF does require you to take the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) after a year, though, and the results go on your record regardless of how well or poorly you do.

[Ram]

So being a :cunning linguist" is good?

Hell, if AETC is offering free language courses online, how long before it's a requirement to make O-4?

I'm not against learning a new language (pretty cool to do it for free, sts), but with the direction that our USAF is going (think "soverign options in cyberspace"), it makes ya go "hmmmm."

[Champ Kind]

Originally posted by Fury220:

I'm not against learning a new language (pretty cool to do it for free, sts), but with the direction that our USAF is going (think "soverign options in "cyberspace" ), it makes ya go "hmmmm."

Maybe we can all learn binary....

1100101=

[Herk Driver]

Originally posted by Hydro130:

I was at The Deid during that whole thing.

2. It was an interesting night.

However, Herk Driver & I are saying the same thing I think. If you have linguist skills regardless of your primary J-O-B, it very well may open up some unique and unforeseen opportunities.

Exactly. The Farsi speaker was a fellow Mobility pilot.

[ 17. January 2007, 14:40: Message edited by: Herk Driver ]

[Guest ShortThrow]

Originally posted by Hydro130:

Noted. Like the one I mentioned above, the Iran earthquake situation is another excellent example of linguist skills can come in unexpectedly handy.

I was at The Deid during that whole thing. My scheduled mission to go in was cancelled after the skycop decided to walk around the Bam ramp with his M-16 strapped. That was the end of Bam relief flights; I was bummed I didn't get to go in there.

Tertle has clarified that he only mentioned the Iranian town in his post earlier as a example of language proficiency, not as a possible job goal as an Intel guy. Before his clarification, that wasn't clear to me, so I just wanted to make sure he knew that line USAF Intel folks wouldn't (under most circumstances) be the spy bubbas who may or may not be boots on the ground in Iran.

However, Herk Driver & I are saying the same thing I think. If you have linguist skills regardless of your primary J-O-B, it very well may open up some unique and unforeseen opportunities.

Cheers, Hydro

Well another reason I am interested is because if I don't end up flying, I'd likely end up in intel and hopefully after my commitment is up apply for another agency, ie nsa, fbi etc. I'm just trying to set myself up for all possibilities should flying not happen for me.

[Guest Chairborne Ranger]

/// THREAD REVIVAL ///

So I found out that if you score a 3+/3+ on the German DLPT you still get paid the Foreign language proficiency bonus. So I was going to just take the test for German because I lived there for 12 years and am a native/fluent speaker (to a 6th grade level) However, turns out you cannot retake the test for 6 months. In turn, I wanted to actually "study" a bit to ensure I do well. I've been looking for study guides. My education office referred me to the DLI website which had guides for several languages (including spanish) but not german. There was a general "study guide" that was somewhat helpful but I am wondering if anybody knows where I can find some German-specific study material to the DLPT?

I know we have a few Deutsch-sprecher on the forum that probably took the test at one time or another.

Thanks!

Edited March 24, 2011 by Chairborne Ranger

[ChkHandleDn]

/// THREAD REVIVAL ///

So I found out that if you score a 3+/3+ on the German DLPT you still get paid the Foreign language proficiency bonus. So I was going to just take the test for German because I lived there for 12 years and am a native/fluent speaker (to a 6th grade level) However, turns out you cannot retake the test for 6 months. In turn, I wanted to actually "study" a bit to ensure I do well. I've been looking for study guides. My education office referred me to the DLI website which had guides for several languages (including spanish) but not german. There was a general "study guide" that was somewhat helpful but I am wondering if anybody knows where I can find some German-specific study material to the DLPT?

I know we have a few Deutsch-sprecher on the forum that probably took the test at one time or another.

Thanks!

If you're already fairly fluent, why not brush up by reading and listening to German news? That will probably be the better solution. Otherwise, I suggest Pimsleur German for the listening portion.

[Who?]

Side note, can you take the test every 6 months for each language, or total? Anyone know? Now that this stuff shows up on your SURF, might be worth putting in some brief study and getting 1/1 in a bunch of different languages on there.

It's every 6 months for each language. Otherwise, no one would be able to keep his scores current (test every 12 months) in more than 2 languages. Your plan sounds like it would take quite a bit of work; why not get really good in one language, then briefly study the languages that are closely related to it (and how they're different) and test in them as well? For example, there are people out there who are great at Spanish, and with a little study can pick up enough Portuguese, Italian and French to get OK scores in them as well.

[Homestar]

If you're previously fluent with the language then you'd probably be best served by looking up some German language podcasts and listening to the news for a refresher. I lived in Spain for several years when I was younger and became pretty fluent with the language. I hadn't studied or spoken much Spanish for a decade and went in a month ago and scored a 2+/3 with little more than listening to BBC podcasts in Spanish for a week. German is probably a harder language than Spanish though.

DLPT scores are recorded on the officer promotion brief starting with this year's Major promotion board. You can retake the test in six months if you don't get the score you're looking for. It seems like a 2+/2+ would equate to basic fluency, a 3/3 would equate to an "undergraduate" ability, and a 4/4 to a "Master's thesis" ability. For a 5/5 you'd better be ready to defend your PhD dissertation.