For example, in January, the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit urgently needed a speaker of a particular language dialect to assist with translating communications in an ongoing investigation. This is particularly important because of the fragmentation of language learning policy within the UK government, despite an informal cross-Whitehall language focus group.Įxperience on the ground illustrates the value of cooperation when it comes to security. It’s also clear that language policy can no longer simply be a matter for the Department for Education: champions for language both within and outside government are vital for issues such as national security. The British military’s new approach is a good example of how an institution can change the culture of the way it thinks about languages.
But, crucially, the organisational culture has changed and languages are now viewed as an asset. The numbers of Ministry of Defence linguists for certain languages, including Arabic, are still precariously low and, according to recent statistics, there are no speakers of Ukrainian or Estonian classed at level three or above in the armed forces. We should not, of course, overstate the progress made. Cultural training that provides regional knowledge and cross-cultural skills is still embryonic, but developing fast.Ī British army sergeant visits a school in Helmand, Afghanistan. Core languages taught are Arabic, Dari, Farsi, French, Russian, Spanish and English as a foreign language. The UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Centre for Language and Culture also offers training to NATO standards across the four language skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing. Speakers of other languages are encouraged to take examinations to register their language skills, whether they are language learners or speakers of heritage or community languages. In a new report on the value of languages, my colleagues and I showcased how a new language policy instituted last year within the British Army, was triggered by a growing appreciation of the risks of language shortages for national security.įollowing the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military sought to implement language skills training as a core competence.
But what if your recruits are no good at other languages? In the UK, where language learning in schools and universities is facing a real crisis, the British army began to see this as a serious problem. When an army deploys in a foreign country, there are clear advantages if the soldiers are able to speak the local language or dialect.
0 kommentar(er)
