

About 200 people a year are tested at Whiteman AFB. government, Bauer said.Īll ranks from all military branches and civilians may take the DLPT. Results are used for operational readiness and training decisions for military members as well as civilian language analysts in the U.S. Meanwhile, the DLPT is an exam the military uses to assess foreign language proficiency. The DLAB is usually required for those who want to go into a linguist field or apply for certain military programs, such as the Olmsted Scholar Program for officers to pursue graduate-level studies overseas. This is a multiple-choice test with audio and visual portions that use a gibberish language to test a person’s potential to learn a foreign language, rather than his or her fluency in a specific foreign language, said Linda Bauer, a test administrator assigned to the 509th FSS. Military personnel interested in pursuing linguistics professionally must first take the DLAB. It also means taking some pretty rigorous languages tests: the Defense Linguistic Aptitude Battery (DLAB) and the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT). “These skillsets, and the cultural knowledge that comes along with them, are the backbone of the strategic partnerships we have with other nations around the globe.”įor Airmen, foreign language skills can mean increased pay and more career options.

“The Air Force values the foreign language abilities of its Airmen,” Nichols said. Whiteman AFB’s 509th Bomb Wing commander Brig. “I think Airmen who possess foreign language abilities are beneficial to the Air Force,” said Lin, a flight kitchen manager assigned to the 509th Force Support Squadron. The Department of Defense and the Air Force are renewing their emphasis on strong international partnerships, with both Defense Secretary James Mattis and Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson recently reiterating the importance of strategic global partnerships and the importance of foreign language skills. This is exactly what the Air Force would like too. He hopes one day to use his foreign language skills to benefit the Air Force.
#RUSSIAN CHINESE LINGUIST SALARY TV#
So, Lin, who speaks Mandarin Chinese, enrolls in online language classes, watches Chinese TV shows and even speaks to his wife and kids in his second language at home. Alan Lin knows if you don’t maintain foreign language proficiency, you lose it.
