Tomedes Blog

The United States military is struggling to get the required number of professional translators in Afghanistan. During their operations in Iraq the military did not face this degree of difficulty in getting Arabic translators because Arabic translators though rare, are relatively easier to get compared to Pashto translators who are required in Afghanistan. Moreover the conditions in Afghanistan are considerably different than Iraq. The translators have to be physically strong and sturdy as they are required to march long distances with heavy backpacks along with the troops.

The figures are also not very inspiring, with United States having approximately 8,000 Pashto speakers most of whom are elderly men, children and women. The military is offering salaries as high as $200,000 which has led some unscrupulous recruiters to fill the positions with people who are not physically capable for the physically demanding job.

There are some language difficulties as well, some translators are not familiar with the local dialects spoken in Southern Afghanistan. Moreover, people in Afghanistan are limited by a general lack of education and prevailing illiteracy which further reduces the availability of translators from the country.

Iraq on the other hand fares much better, a significantly higher number of translators are available for the job. Since the money is good, many linguists are learning Iraqi dialects as well. They are all the more so motivated by the belief that better opportunities are on the way for those working in Iraq. There is promise of jobs for non-Iraqis that are less dangerous in nature.

As a solution, the Department of Defense is in the process of creating a Civilian Linguist Reserve. In this program, linguists with the required skills and security clearance would get a monthly fee for being available to the military during emergency requirements.

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