[jocon307]

I think the Military better concentrate on finding some non-Muslim Arab speakers to be translators. They can pass them off as Muslims if needed.

I also think we ordinary Americans should consider inundating adult ed. classes, Berlitz, community colleges, etc. with a new demand for Arab language lessons. These people are using their gobbledy-gook language to pull the wool over our eyes, as Yasir Arafat is famous for doing, and I am tired of the world acting as if Arabic is some secret code. It is a language spoken by millions of people, and millions more can learn it, easily or otherwise.

I think this would show them we are wise to their plans to annihilate us, and do not plan to go willingly. All new students of Arabic need to tell any reporette who asks "No, I'm not doing this to understand the culture, I'm doing it to foil the terrorists plots against me, my children, and our civilization."

If the Military doesn't know who and where our enemies are, we are in deep doo-doo indeed.

[aristeides]

Plenty of Arab Christians in this country who are fluent speakers of Arabic.

[Vigilantcitizen]

FWIW...

My last trip to the paintball fields, I met two young men that were students at Georgia Military Institute in preperation for West Point, and another recent VMI graduate.

All three were or had taken Arab language classes working towards getting into the intelligence field, and all three said that since 9-11, Arab language has become a must for military school-college students hoping to get into intelligence.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Training Army (and everybody else's) Linguists

My son is out there now. They're killing him mentally, and he is a smart young man. Gets headaches every night. Arabic is is right up there amongst the most difficult of languages for native English-speakers to learn.