Training Arabic linguists

Soldiers Magazine, May, 2004 by Steve Harding

Because the Arabic students at DLI are being trained to use the language in military or intelligence applications, their training includes "modules" that deal with the vocabularies specific to those disciplines, Hoffman said.

A Comprehensive Process

As with each of the languages taught at DLIFLC, students are introduced to Arabic in phases. The first is "sound and script," an introduction to the alphabet and the sounds of the spoken language.

"They then see things on the computer, listen to the tapes they've downloaded to their MP3 players and gel into the reading. When they get into the higher semesters we have more speaking hours for them, because speaking is the hardest skill to master," Hoffman said.

To polish their language skills and stay up to date on the culture, politics and current events of the Arabic-speaking world, students watch Al Jazeera and other Arabic-language TV networks on each classroom's smart board, said Ousama Akkad, chairman of one of MAS's four Arabic departments.

Students point out that, in addition to being phased and comprehensive, the school's learning process is continually challenging, especially given Arabic's complexity and the course's accelerated pace.

"I took Spanish and German in high school, and compared to Arabic those languages were both ridiculously easy," said PFC John Martin.

"In our first three weeks at DLIFLC we covered everything that I studied in an 18-week semester of Arabic in college," Robertson added. "You really have to pay attention and stay focused, because each day is full."

"Yes, we keep the students pretty busy," Hoffman said. "A typical day includes at least six hours of class time, as well as physical training, formations and two to three hours of homework a night. In addition, twice a week there are mandatory evening study halls. It makes for a very full and challenging schedule, and the students really have to make an effort to get all the work done to keep up."

Special Attention

Unfortunately, keeping up can be difficult for some students. In fiscal year 2003, for example, 9.2 percent of the Arabic students in MAS were "academically disenrolled" for academic reasons and 20 percent for administrative reasons.

But dropping students from the program is not something the school's staff members like to do, Campbell said. In fact, if the quality of an individual's work begins to decline, staffers step in immediately to offer help.

"If someone is doing poorly, you can't just say 'listen more' or 'try harder,' you have to find out why the student is having difficulty and then address those issues," she said. "We try to identify the student's strengths and weaknesses, to find out why that person is having difficulties. We then work to bolster positive skills, and we suggest strategies that will allow the student to improve."

A student's poor performance in class may stem from family problems, military discipline issues or even ill health, rather than the language itself, Campbell said. Military readers, chaplains or other nonacademic counselors provide assistance when students need it.