Foreign Langage Fluency—Career Advantage?

[IKE]

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

Yep. Turns out Germans speak and write better English than we do. Also, those were technically UH-72s...dumbed down for Army use.

 

[BigRed389]

It’d note that most of the languages I’d consider it more practical or associated with “fun” to visit are not what DOD would consider valuable. And the opposite is also true.

 

[Random8145]

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.

Just curious, how is Mandarin Chinese valued?

 

[MIDNJAC]

Just curious, how is Mandarin Chinese valued?

You will impress someone in the DFAC when you order General Tso's chicken.

 

[gparks1989]

Just curious, how is Mandarin Chinese valued?

Chinese - all dialects - is highly valued. The degree to which that impacts one's day to day depends on what designator you're in.

 

[Michael_J_Caboose]

You will impress someone in the DFAC when you order General Tso's chicken.

I learned enough Korean to flirt with the chow hall workers and they would bring me homemade bibimbap and bulgogi, so I would say it's extremely beneficial.

 

[JTS11]

You will impress someone in the DFAC when you order General Tso's chicken.

DFAC threadjack. A buddy of mine while on deployment in Djibouti, relays that he shows up for a special Thanksgiving meal. As he and his group enter the DFAC, they are greeted by all of the TCN's from southwest Asia in formation dressed in shitty Pilgrim and Indian costumes. They all slowly did a slow face swipe and a shake of the head. 😆

DFAC threadjack out/

 

[ChuckMK23]

Demonstrating currency on your foreign language skill seems to be quite lucrative as a reservist. I think it's an every 3-year test and the extra pay is remarkable.

 

[Brett327]

Demonstrating currency on your foreign language skill seems to be quite lucrative as a reservist. I think it's an every 3-year test and the extra pay is remarkable.

Define remarkable.