Foreign Langage Fluency—Career Advantage?

[aprilmarikko]

Is there any career advantage to being fluent in more than one language as a pilot (or officer in general?)

If so, are some languages more useful than others? I’d imagine French/German/Spanish to be more valuable than Tagalog, but how do they measure against Russian/Chinese/Arabic?

Thank You.

 

[Brett327]

As a pilot? No.

 

[Llarry]

Foreign language proficiency is valuable for a couple of small officer communities, such as Foreign Area Officer, Intelligence Officer or Information Warfare Officer. It has some limited potential to be useful if the officer were one of the very few selected to do an exchange tour with a foreign country but that would well into the officer's career.

 

[cfam]

^^what they said. Outside of a leading a random detachment to Germany during my last deployment, speaking German had absolutely no utility in my aviation career.

As Llary noted, language ability is definitely useful for a FAO, but it’s only as useful as the specific job you have, as there are many in-country FAO jobs where you still primarily communicate in English.

 

[HuggyU2]

In the AF, most pilots I know don't list any language skills, so they can avoid a non-vol to a language related job.

I have a friend that was on the career fast track, and his fluency in Arabic helped get him a key job working for a Flag officer.

So yes... depending on what you want to do with your career, it is a "tool" you can potentially pull out.

Personally, I'd keep my cards close to my chest until I see something that appeals to me.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Is there any career advantage to being fluent in more than one language as a pilot (or officer in general?)

If so, are some languages more useful than others? I’d imagine French/German/Spanish to be more valuable than Tagalog, but how do they measure against Russian/Chinese/Arabic?

Thank You.

Short answer is no.

 

[Gatordev]

I'm going to disagree with the others and say that it might be useful. I wished I spoke Spanish, but that was because of where I deployed and it would have been helpful, operationally (and at the bar). A language might also be useful post-Navy depending on where you choose to work/what job that might be as a pilot.

All that said, these are niche examples, and overall not remotely required.

 

[IRfly]

Tagalog would have probably been very useful when i was an Air Department DIVO in Westpac. Could have understood the ABHs' sh!t-talking

Otherwise, already mentioned, not as an aviator.

Already knowing a language well enough to test 2/2 would help you on the lat transfer board if you want to be a FAO. Might even get you some extra $$ if you become a FAO.

Other than that, not really advantages. Knowing other languages doesn't hurt, for sure. But just don't think that knowing one will necessarily make things better for you (other than the $$). We have no shortage of native Mandarin/Cantonese and Russian speakers in the Navy (for better or for worse). As a FAO, French will get you a one-way ticket to AFRICOM, so if that's your thing, go for it. Spanish...? We're not hurting for Spanish speakers.

Arabic...this is an interesting one. We don't have a ton of native speakers, there's a high demand, and it's very difficult to learn. So if you know Arabic your ability would be in demand. But would you want to do multiple tours in the MENA region?

 

[AllAmerican75]

Is there any career advantage to being fluent in more than one language as a pilot (or officer in general?)

If so, are some languages more useful than others? I’d imagine French/German/Spanish to be more valuable than Tagalog, but how do they measure against Russian/Chinese/Arabic?

Thank You.

Sort of. As others have said, there might be some opportunities for exchange tours or non-flying shore tours in weird places (Embassies doing things like flight clearances) but those could actually be risky for your career as a pilot, or at least were a few years ago. That said, the DoD will give you extra pay for in-demand languages like Mandarin, Cantonese, Urdu, Pashtu, Arabic, Farsi, Russian, and many more. You can take a proficiency test and qualify for extra pay and will have a note placed in your OMPF and in your ODC/OSR that tracks your languages spoken.

 

[Brett327]

Of course languages are useful... but that isn't how the OP framed their question.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Foreign language proficiency is valuable for a couple of small officer communities, such as Foreign Area Officer, Intelligence Officer or Information Warfare Officer. It has some limited potential to be useful if the officer were one of the very few selected to do an exchange tour with a foreign country but that would well into the officer's career.

Is there any career advantage to being fluent in more than one language as a pilot (or officer in general?)

If so, are some languages more useful than others? I’d imagine French/German/Spanish to be more valuable than Tagalog, but how do they measure against Russian/Chinese/Arabic?

Thank You.

None of the Intel or CW officers I have known or put in to the USN spoke any foreign language (except some Spanish and Tagalog that wasnt listed on the application), the senior ones said no benefit for boards or career unless going for FAO.

 

[IKE]

Turns out all our aircraft have English labels on the controls and English flight manuals

 

[Gatordev]

Turns out all our aircraft have English labels on the controls and English flight manuals

Didn't you fly a -145? That's not English, that's Frermanlish.

 

[Griz882]

…it would have been helpful, operationally (and at the bar).

A distinction without a difference.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Is there any career advantage to being fluent in more than one language as a pilot (or officer in general?)

If so, are some languages more useful than others? I’d imagine French/German/Spanish to be more valuable than Tagalog, but how do they measure against Russian/Chinese/Arabic?

Thank You.

Useful? Could be. Career enhancing? Not in any URL communities.

DoD and the services maintain Strategic Language Lists that specify and prioritize needs for language abilities across the force. They're divided into Immediate, Emerging, and Enduring, depending on the need vs existing number of speakers within the force. Speakers who can score well on a DLA fluency exam in languages on Immediate and Emerging lists can get language proficiency pay; Enduring speakers only get the pay if it's part of their MOS/rate.

Spanish, French, German, and Tagalog are equally valuable - that is to say, not very. There are plenty of speakers of those languages in the armed forces and not a lot of strategic need. On the other hand, if you speak Somali, Farsi, or some regional idiomatic Arabic, that is valuable.