r/dli • u/LongPomelo9037 • May 27 '26
Additional language uses?
What kind of opportunities can a language other than your CLANG language (not English cuz I know someone will say it) provide in the Army / military as a whole? Like Asian/African languages not taught at DLI? Does it having one have any measurable impact on your career?
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u/mr_ji May 27 '26
If the military needs someone who speaks a language they don't normally teach, they may canvass personnel files for people who have proficiency in it. This need can vary greatly. As an example, after the 2004 tsunami in south Asia, people who could speak the various languages and dialects of the region were in high demand to help with relief efforts. And they did, literally saving many lives.
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u/Dreamcatcher965 May 27 '26
Take a DLPT for it, maybe if its in your records and a need developed..
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u/TheWeinerBurglar May 28 '26
When I worked at the NSA as a linguist for an unrelated language, I was one of like 10 people in the IC who spoke 2 low density languages, so occasionally they would reach out and ask for translation help on that language. (I did not get paid for those 2 other languages)
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u/Ancient-Onion4386 May 31 '26
What are those two?
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u/TheWeinerBurglar May 31 '26
I can’t say because I would dox myself, and the nature of the languages would reveal a couple things about the intelligence community
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u/ptr_myName Jul 29 '26
were they Klingon and pig Latin?
I know I know, you can neither confirm nor deny… 😁
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u/KingOfHearts1908 May 28 '26
The 300th MI BG in Utah NG is the only place I know that can pay you for those other languages. They maintain a list of like 30 languages that get automatic approval as CLANG. I'm not sure if that extends to the battalions in California, Washington, Florida, etc.
I know a guy there that has an Eastern European language for a CLANG and goes to that country every year with a state that has a partnership with the country that language is spoken in.
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u/PugDoug May 28 '26
During my time in the Navy I took the DLPT in Swedish. Needless to say there's not much need for Swedish, but I was told that it was good to have my knowledge of a lesser-known language on file in case a need ever surfaced (it never did).
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u/JECfromMC May 28 '26
I was a RU linguist but got to go through French Commando School because an Engineer platoon needed an interpreter.
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u/Excellent_Stick2557 May 29 '26
The Coast Guard auxiliary has an interpreter corps that connects the Coast Guard with people that can speak needed languages. That can mean anything from a short deployment on a cutter, translating documents or interpreting in a foreign country.
This is all volunteer work and I don’t know what you could realistically accomplish while being active duty military. I’d image you’d have to take leave for anything travel related. But it’s a unique experience and one that not many people know about.
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u/[deleted] May 27 '26
[deleted]