Learn a language p1 - Military Career Advancement - Military Times Edge

You don’t need to know a foreign language now to study to become a linguist in the military. However, you do need to score well on the Defense Language Aptitude Battery.

Pass the test, and you could be on your way to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, where at a given time, 3,000 students pursue intense training in one of 23 languages.

It’s often a challenge for recruiters to fill slots that require languages considered difficult for native English speakers, such as Chinese, Arabic, Korean and Japanese, said the school's commandant, Army Col. Sue Ann Sandusky.

If you’re eligible for a security clearance — many linguists work in intelligence — and you're interested in how you’d fare at learning a new language, Sandusky recommends contacting your military education center to request the test.

Then, if you score well and think you may want to change jobs: “If you’re not in a specialty that requires a language, you have to request to be released into one of those specialties,” Sandusky said.

The test

The Defense Language Aptitude Battery doesn’t test current knowledge, instead measuring your potential for learning a new language quickly, Sandusky said.

The multiple-choice test includes an audio portion.

A score of 85 could qualify you for admission to one of the institute’s basic programs in a Category 1 — easiest to learn — language such as French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Languages are divided into four categories, with those more difficult to learn requiring higher scores.

The training

Instruction at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center’s Presidio of Monterey, Calif., campus isn't — quite — a day at the beach.

“It’s an extremely rigorous course of instruction. People have to work very, very hard,” Sandusky said.

The institute traces its origins to one of the original Army language schools created in November 1941, Sandusky said. The school is celebrating its 67th anniversary Nov. 1 (alumni — you’re invited).

Sandusky completed French language training at the institute in 1992.

“The languages we teach are driven by the requirements of the services,” Sandusky explained.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, that’s meant a greater emphasis on Arabic; Hindi and Urdu, languages of south Asia; and Pashtu and Dari, spoken in Afghanistan.

“We expect that at some point, we'll start to see an influx of AfriCom requests for language slots here,” Sandusky added.

That could mean more demand for Arabic, French and Portuguese training, said the school's spokesman, Sgt. 1st Class Brian Lamar.

After 64 weeks of training at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, students have acquired the equivalent of 10.5 college semesters of language training.

Students who complete the course and have the right college prerequisites can earn an associate degree.