LANGUAGE [CONTINUED FROMPAGE 59]
his training at the Naval Postgradu- ate School in Monterey. After that, he could be working as a defense attaché in an embassy, in security co- operation, or on a command staff. Graduates of the institute can be found taking on a variety of other challenging missions as well. They monitor open-source communica- tions around the world and staff the hotline that connects Washington, D.C., to Moscow. Specially trained linguists fluent in the language of arms control have a place at the table during vital international negotia- tions. “You have special operating forces where language is a require- ment for their basic duties,” Fischer adds. “You also have the squad lin- guist, where a person can be assigned to a unit on the ground and become that unit’s bridge to another culture and another language.” Intelligence, of course, remains a priority — and a challenging one at that. Monitoring communication in a 24/7 digital world is a daunting task. In the old days, Fischer says, military linguists were concerned with radio, television, telephone, and maybe some standard com- munication systems like air traffic control, all relatively easy to moni- tor. Technology has changed, and so has the way we communicate. Information bounces off satellites and streams through cables even as it continues to fly through the airwaves. Linguists must be aware of what’s being talked about on In- ternet websites and social media as well as in traditional broadcast and print media. “What is the Chinese word for emoticon? That’s some- thing new we have to learn,” Fischer says. “We’re in a new era.” MO
— Christina Wood is a Florida-based freelance writer. Her last article for Mili- tary Officer was “Operation Deep Freeze,” January 2012.
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