At a recent State Department briefing, a reporter asked how many of the 200 foreign service officers stationed at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad could speak fluent Arabic. The answer: 10.
It’s emblematic of our failure to understand the culture and language of a country we’re occupying.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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34 Comments
That’s amazing! I do agree we should have more folks that speak and understand the language there.At the same time… we have 12-20 MILLION ilegal’s here that refuse to learn our language. 2 different things I know, but it infuriates me to hear spanish especially from small children who should learn english before ever coming here.My point: in Baghdad, speak Arabic.In America, speak ENGLISH!
Once again, Thank you Randy, for only bringing us part of the story….
I am wondering:
How many fluent Arabic Speaking Operatives we have in the country working for us?
Because, call me crazy, I am guess most of them are out patrolling with the infantry units or working out in the community vs being in the “stationed” in the embassy.
Can you tell us that Randy?
Do you even care?
Have you heard of actually investigating something instead of making bold assertions off of anecdotal evidence like:
“It’s emblematic of our failure to understand the culture and language of a country we’re occupying.”
This was one of the point a documentary touched on what the lack of our troops in understand just what they were told and said to. In the documentary the Troops had went on a raid of suspected bomb makers and discovered some explosives and a car being fitted to be used. The U.S. troops were accompanied by Iraqis troops and only had a Iraqis that spoke broken English at best. While American soldiers worked to secure the explosives and the car. The Iraqis were standing around talking, it was not until months lately when the film was back in the U.S. That an interpreter told the film crew that the Iraqis were talking about knowing where a far greater cash of weapons and explosives were. But they were not going to tell the Americans, this all said with in a few feet of several U.S, personnel who were also standing watching the operation.
No habla.
“This was one of the point a documentary touched on”
It’s pretty cool when Mom finally decides to allow cable TV in the house, huh? Lots of stuff to see. Pass the word to capn and a couple of others, but I don’t think their Mom’s are going to go for it. Oh well.
“accompanied by Iraqis troops and only had a Iraqis that spoke broken English at best.”
Are you saying the Iraqi didn’t tell anyone about what he heard? He knew of a cache of weapons and didn’t communicate it to our soldiers? Are the Libs trying to blame us for not knowing the language? How do you point and say BOOM BOOM in Iragi?
Nathan,
It’s about FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS – you know, employees of the STATE DEPARTMENT – the department responsible for the EMBASSIES that represent us overseas. It’s NOT about military personnel or employees of the military. State Department personnel stationed in a foreign country for any length of time usually have more than a passing grasp of the local language(s). In the case of Iraq, only 5% (10 out of 200) of the state department officers in Iraq speak fluent Arabic…that’s pretty pitiful…and it points to the trouble the US has recruiting fluent speakers of most Middle Eastern languages.
BFAH,
My point was that this is hardly enough for Randy to make a statement like:
“It’s emblematic of our failure to understand the culture and language of a country we’re occupying.”
From my experience in foreign lands, it takes about six months to become used to local customs and courtesies. That of course, is a minimal amount of time to learn the “Do’s” and “Don’t’s” of a society.
Even if one becomes certified “fluent” in a language, they have to learn dialect of a particular region, more so than the language itself.
Like when an American Northerner describes someone as a “Gomer” they mean it in an insulting, degrading sort of way. When an American Southerner says “Gomer”, it becomes a good natured way of describing someone with a particular mindset and lifestyle.
Acceptance of a particular bilingual person into a society by the locals goes a long way into integrating full featured interaction.
I’m sure they could recruit fluent Arabic speakers from Detroit let’s say. But being accepted into the Iraqi society is a totally different matter.
Non-Muslims speaking Arabic is even more problematic. Although locals may accept and appreciate someone speaking their language, they may discount anything they say as insignificant as the foreigner is still a foreigner, not one of them.
I knew a person in the Air Force that was fluent in Turkish and could speak some Arabic. I asked him if he got invitations to dinner and such stuff. He told me, “Who you kidding? I’m still a white American Yankee who just speaks their language, there is nothing stamped on my forehead that says “trust me.”
Even people who moved to a region and assimilate fully into a society are always looked at with a jaundiced eye because they are not local.
Staying in a foreign country is more than being fluent in a language.
Our embassies serve as our prime non-military liaison offices in foreign countries. If embassy personel living in Iraq cannot communicate effectively with Iraqi officials, informants and other contacts, the mission is compromised.
Fortunately,our new Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker is an veteran Middle East hand who has previously served in Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Quatar, Iraq, Egypt and Iran (pre-Ayatollah). He possesses an on-the-ground intimate knowledge of the Middle East. John Negroponte was not comfortable living in Baghdad. Ryan loves it. He speaks Arabic fluently. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and others involved in selecting Mr. Crocker could not have chosen a better man for the job.
Our State Department and DOD have intensive foreign language immersion-instruction programs. I would hazard a guess that they’re instructing several hundred young adults in Arabic right now.
Bottom line: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of State Rice, Ambassador Crocker and other top officials predict that we’re going to have a sizeable (albeit smaller than today) military force in Iraq, and a much larger diplomatic contingent than we have now, for a long time, to protect Iraq’s borders and oil facilities, contain al-Qaeda, and send a message to the Middle East and China that we’re going to protect our strategic interests, such as our access to oil. Our new embassy building in Baghdad is the largest on the planet.
We’ll have a lot more than 10 Arabic speakers stationed there five years from now.
MPS,
Why five years from _now?_ Why not four years ago, when this insanity started?
Nine years to correct an oversight of this administration’s own making…
:::shakes head:::
You know, with all of our technology, someone should have created an electronic translater by now that could be carried in the pocket. One that actually puts the correct way to say it.
Type it in…and it speaks back in the language you select.
Of course every soldier should know how to say “stop or I’ll shoot”.
Duh, you don’t need to speak Arabic to grease ragheads!
The problem with not understanding another countries languages, cultures, nuances, and caste system, especially in the Muslim countries, is you get what we’re getting in Iraq: bogged down.
We supported Saddam’s regime over Iran’s because of communism. If one takes a serious look at just about any sect of the Muslim religions, one would find a culture that totally rejects godless societies, as communist countries are (at least as seem by Muslims).
We would have been better off letting them beat the crap out of each other. But that dirty word, oil, came into play as well. Can’t let them communists get their toe-hold in any oil rich countries.
Now we invaded the same country and tinpot dictator we supported on trumped up WMD charge. But we still don’t understand them as a country, so we slog along trailing spin after spin with our head in the sand. Nuts!
Let’s see – the military has fired at least fifty-eight soldiers that were fluent in Arabic because they were gay.
Great.
We don’t have enough Arabic speaking translators and we fire some that are because they are gay.
Good plan.
Our real problem is a act as Americans should act, and that being before we became entangled with those who are morally indigent, both at home and abroad.
“Duh, you don’t need to speak Arabic to grease ragheads!
Posted by: sgt. slaughter | July 04, 2007 at 08:29 AM ”
Nor do you need to be able to read to beat a skinhead with a sockfull of nickels
“We don’t have enough Arabic speaking translators and we fire some that are because they are gay.Good plan.Posted by: WSClark | July 04, 2007 at 09:42 AM ”
Kind of illustrates the conflicting goals of our leaders. If there real goal was to ‘win’ in Iraq, whatever in the hell that would be, would they have let those people go whether they liked guys, girls, or sheep?
Speak Arabic, nah. Just do what the police do with the mexicans…talk real loud, they’ll understand.
I try a similar thing on here thinkfirst. I type r e a l slowly so some of our thinking-challenged bloggers can understand.
It’s emblematic of our failure to understand the culture and language of a country we’re occupying.”
Posted by: Nathan
We really have to forgive Nathan because he knows not what he speaks.
Nathan is living under the assumption that the country with the biggest guns and tanks win the war. Unfortunately, in Iraq, it seems like the street rats called insugents do not have fancy tanks, they do not have the biggest guns and they surely do not have any fancy uniforms and learn to march in lockstep. But yet these street rats are continually blowing up our soldiers with homemade bombs.
It is time the US military start using their brains and not their brawn. And I would assume learning the Arabic language would be a valuable tool towards that endeavor. But, alas, Nathan still loves his big guns and tanks and he still thinks playing soldiers is a fun game.
Yeah shoveit, then you can negotiate with the terrorists while another puts a bullet between your eyes.
Republican,
“From my experience in foreign lands, it takes about six months to become used to local customs and courtesies.”
A person can be taught the basic “”Do’s” and “Don’t’s” of a society” faster than that.
Republican: “I’m still a white American Yankee who just speaks their language, there is nothing stamped on my forehead that says “trust me.” ”
The issue is COMMUNICATION, not “trust”.
“an interpreter told the film crew that the Iraqis were talking about knowing where a far greater cash of weapons and explosives were. But they were not going to tell the Americans, this all said with in a few feet of several U.S, personnel who were also standing watching the operation.
Posted by: writerdog | July 04, 2007 at 02:55 AM
Nice cut and paste cosmos, it’s the usual tripe that you do. By the way, the sentence that starts with, “I’m still a white American Yankee…” is a statement of someone else.
If you are going to take something out of context cosmos, at least attribute it to whom it refers.
cosmos, how many foreign lands have you been to?
I’ve been to about fifty. How about it cosmos? Let’s hear your expertise on the matter.
Can we get you to go to another foreign land, Republank? Saudi Arabia. Yemen. Russia.
Damn, I bet if we took up a collection, we could buy for a one-way ticket.
Yeah shoveit, then you can negotiate with the terrorists while another puts a bullet between your eyes.
Posted by: Republican
Spoken like a true Neanderthal. The point was we need to understand not only their language but their culture. Just because you have a big gun does not necessarily mean you will win the fight. We need to fight will all different types of weapons and knowledge is the most powerful of them all.
Do you get it now? Or will 3,000 more soldiers have to die before you get it?
What shoveit? No tears for the 50,000 dead on American highways last year?
Are you selective on how and when people die?
Or perhaps numbers only count when it meets your warped way of thinking huh?
Republican,
Do you disagree with the “person in the Air Force that was fluent in Turkish and could speak some Arabic” you knew? If so, then WHY did you post what he said?
Republican: “cosmos, how many foreign lands have you been to?”
WHAT does that have to do with Iraqis talking about a far greater cache of weapons and explosives, AND U.S. personnel standing nearby NOT understanding?http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2007/07/they-should-spe.html#comment-74830570
The issue is COMMUNICATION, not “trust”.
“Radical Terrorism for Dummies”By Ahmad Bin Jihad.
Available at a book store near you.
cosmos never answers a question.
He poses more questions, no wonder he gets ignored.
I’m not going to answer irrelevant personal questions from Republican.
Republican is UNABLE to explain WHAT his travels in about 50 “foreign lands” has to do with U.S. personnel not understanding vital info from Iraqis.http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2007/07/they-should-spe.html#comment-74830570
So he changes the subject, and makes false personal attacks.
Sad cosmos. Avoid questions and make up new ones.
You’re on total ignore now cosmos, enjoy.
Tell me, how many gi’s spoke German or Japanese during WWII?
Tons of GI’s spoke German in WWII (hell, lots of American servicemen from areas of the upper midwest all the way east to New York City had German immigrant parents; they learned German in their homes, growing up). Prominent German Americans included Ike and Adm. Nimitz. More than 100,000 Germans moved to the US in the decade before the war.
Not so many spoke Japanese.
Comparisons are pretty much invalid, though, due to the military draft in effect then but not now. The US military had INFINITELY more linguistic talent to choose from in WWII.
You see, under FDR’s leadership WWII was a proper war: all out. Everybody sacrificed, everybody participated in one way or another. Not at all like Augustus Stupidus’s Mission Accomplished Iraqi Freedom fiasco/clusterf*ck/civil-war-there-AND-here “adventure.”