

Related Article – Cryptologic Technician Interpretive (CTI): Career Details What are the job functions of a Cryptologic Linguist? An Asia-Pacific Cryptologic Linguist reads a Chinese legend. Specific training requirements will be discussed in the related job functions area below. Marines are required to attend recruit training for 13 weeks and the Voice Processing Course.Įach MOS has specific training requirements related to the region/languages they cover. The DLPT is the Department of Defense standard in determining language proficiency. In all MOSs, the minimum score can be substituted for a minimum Level 2 proficiency on the listening and reading portions of the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) in the appropriate language.Ĭryptologic Linguists are not only required to achieve the Level 2 proficiency in listening and reading on the DLPT, but they must also be able to maintain it. These occupational specialties require individuals to take the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB).Ī minimum score of 95-110 (depending on the MOS) is required on the Defense Language Aptitude Battery. While each MOS will require individuals to take the ASVAB test, each MOS has a different minimum score requirement for the General Technical (GT) portion, (at least 95 or better). They must be a U.S Citizen and meet SCI security clearance. There are also several language training detachments at sites in the U.S., Europe, Hawaii and Korea.All Cryptologic Linguist positions will require individuals to be at least 17 and no older than 28, have a high school diploma and meet height, weight, and body fat requirements.Ĭryptologic Linguists will be required to pass all physical testing and cannot have speech or hearing defects. The DLI’s headquarters is in California, but it has the ability to instruct another 65 languages through its Washington, D.C., branch. He isn’t sure if he’ll stay in the military long term, but either way, he’d like to be a translator or do international business, both of which will make the course worth it. “If you slip up on a test or opt to go out and have drinks with friends instead of study, that can really come back to bite you,” Rutledge said, who will be a cryptologic language analyst when he’s finished at DLI. One thing’s for sure: it takes a lot of focus, especially as a military student. “Sometimes you can express rather complex ideas in very few words or written characters.” “In some ways, the grammar is similar, even sometimes easier,” Rutledge said. Jensen and Rutledge still have a way to go before they finish the course. If the students do well, they get the chance to go to Taiwan or mainland China to do a month of immersive language study. They have to go to training and pass all the tests,” he said. “They don’t only take care of their study, they actually have military duty after class hours. Some students listen to the language in the shower, while others review flashcards whenever they have the chance. Most of the students who do succeed reach the college level of understanding within a year and a half, which requires a lot of studying. “To actually be able to get through to somebody - that’s the reason why we came back here … to try to impart our wisdom to the students now,” Walton said. Walton said the students who make it to the end of the Chinese course have one of the highest passing rates - 95 percent - which makes students’ “ah-ha moments” so satisfying. Some can’t keep up academically, while others fail out due to disciplinary reasons. In general, the success rate for students at DLI is 75 percent. “You have to be interested in it in order for it to be successful,” Rutledge said.Īnd that’s not guaranteed. The school incorporates extracurricular activities such as cooking days, storytelling of legendary warriors and heroes, and there are immersion trips to places like a local Chinese market to get the students to appreciate the culture. Liu said the key is to link your interests with the language so you can stay motivated and keep up with the pace.

“You’re spending so much brain power just trying to understand what you need to do.” The Keys to Learning So, you could say one thing, and depending on the context or tone you say it in, it could have up to five different meanings,” said Jensen, who spent the first few months drinking a lot of coffee and doing pushups to stay awake.
E1 ARMY CRYPTOLOGIC LINGUIST HOW TO
Jensen and Rutledge were about a third of the way through the course when we spoke, and they were learning 25-30 words a day, as well as how to distinguish them - an often confusing task. “In a civilian school, this can usually take one semester,” Liu said.

Liu said DLI students only need about one week to learn basic syllables and phonetic sequences to the level of greeting people.
