VOA慢速英语2016--语言有助于提高军事和国际关系

AS IT IS 2016-05-27 Languages Help Improve Military, International Relations 语言有助于提高军事和国际关系

A decision made by a soldier during battle can have a national and international political, social and cultural effect.

When the decision is a poor one it can damage the credibility of the operation.

U.S. Army Colonel Philip J. Deppert works to help soldiers avoid tactical mistakes. Deppert is the commanding officer of the Defense¹ Language Institute (DLI), in Monterey, California. He told VOA that cultural education is a major part of the institute’s educational programs.

Deppert said DLI is famous around the world for producing well-trained military linguists³ who understand both the language and the culture of a country.

“The United States -- and specifically our military -- understands that in order to be the best partner with all nations around the world we not only have to understand the language but the culture embedded⁵ with that as well,” he said.

About 3,500 soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and civilians⁶ attend DLI. Their agencies pay for their study.?

DLI diplomacy⁷

Wherever there is a U.S. embassy, there is a U.S. military representative who trained at DLI.

Air Force Major Braden Coleman is a foreign affairs officer. Six months ago, he began learning the Urdu language at DLI in preparation for his deployment⁸ to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.

He said DLI is “preparing me to work at the embassy and to help with relations. So I will be in the program for at least the next four years.”

The DLI has about 1,800 specially⁹ trained teachers. Almost all of them are native speakers of the language they teach.

Isabella Christopher teaches her students the Urdu language and the culture of Pakistan. She has worked at DLI for about five years. She said “if we tell someone that our students learn a language in nine months, or 35 weeks, or 47 weeks, nobody believes that.”

Emphasis on culture

In addition to native speakers, DLI students also learn from U.S. military teachers who are educated in languages. U.S. Army Sergeant¹⁰ Garrick Bartlett received four years of education in the Pashto language before he became a teacher at DLI.

He said his “primary role is to help bridge the gap between Pashto and English, coming from that of an English native-speaker’s background.”

DLI has separate schools that focus on different areas of the world.

William Sameer al-Wahab heads one of the institute’s Middle East Schools. He said the training permits students to communicate on at least a basic level with people who live and work in the areas where they are deployed¹¹.

“Once the population feels that the soldiers are speaking their language, they will try to do the same thing and be very helpful,” he said.

Total immersion¹²

Besides language training, students are also sent to what DLI calls the Immersion Facility. There, they experience possible real-life situations. They are not permitted to speak English. They wear local clothing and communicate in the target language.

The Obama administration is broadening the U.S. military campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. U.S. special operations forces are to advise local U.S. allies. DLI will likely play a major part in that effort.

Colonel Deppert said DLI would not send students from the school unless it believes they are fully¹³ prepared. He said the training center can show proof of how well prepared its linguists are.

He said the school has “linguists right now in Japan helping¹⁴ with earthquake relief in that country.”

Words in This Story

credibility – n. the quality of being believed or accepted as true, real or honest

tactical – adj. of, relating to or used for a specific plan that is created to achieve a particular goal in war, politics, etc.

linguist² – n. a person who speaks or studies languages

specifically – adv. in a definite and exact way

embed⁴ – v. to place or set (something) firmly in something else; to be a part of (often used figuratively)

focus v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 linguist   

n.语言学家；精通数种外国语言者

参考例句：

• I used to be a linguist till I become a writer.过去我是个语言学家，后来成了作家。
• Professor Cui has a high reputation as a linguist.崔教授作为语言学家名声很高。

3 linguists   

n.通晓数国语言的人( linguist的名词复数 )；语言学家

参考例句：

• The linguists went to study tribal languages in the field. 语言学家们去实地研究部落语言了。 来自辞典例句
• The linguists' main interest has been to analyze and describe languages. 语言学家的主要兴趣一直在于分析并描述语言。 来自辞典例句

4 embed   

vt.把…嵌(埋、插)入，扎牢；使深留脑中

参考例句：

• The harpoon struck but did not embed.鱼叉击中了但并没有插入。
• This photo showed us how did the root of plant embed the soil deeply.这张照片显示植物的根是如何深入到土壤里去的。

5 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。

6 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

7 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

8 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

9 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

10 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

11 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

12 immersion   

n.沉浸；专心

参考例句：

• The dirt on the bottom of the bath didn't encourage total immersion.浴缸底有污垢，不宜全身浸泡于其中。
• The wood had become swollen from prolonged immersion.因长时间浸泡，木头发胀了。

13 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。