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Best language for Navy Officer? | ||
 Language Learning Forum : Languages & Work |  | |
| christian Senior Member United States Joined 5031 days ago 111 posts - 135 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Japanese, German | Message 1 of 8 15 September 2011 at 7:20pm | IP Logged |
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I am a freshman in the NROTC program at Miami University. In 4-5 years I'll be an officer on an aircraft carrier
which routinely make trips all over the pacific and indian ocean. I am taking German courses and already know quite a bit, including Spanish. However, I think it would be wise for me to learn either Russian, Arabic, Mandarin, or Japanese. I know from the past that you guys hate topics about "which language should I learn", but I need some help because I honestly like them all about the same. Maybe take a more pragmatic approach and discuss their usefulness in comparison with each other. Thanks. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5043 days ago 2237 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 2 of 8 15 September 2011 at 8:04pm | IP Logged |
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Hmmm, the Pacific, Mandarin, Russian and Korean should be quite useful in the Pacific theater. So when you learn those languages you'll be posted to the Med! Never underestimate military logic! Edited by Fasulye on 28 May 2012 at 10:31am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| HMS Senior Member England Joined 4888 days ago 143 posts - 256 votes Speaks: English* | Message 3 of 8 16 September 2011 at 12:15am | IP Logged |
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Depends which branch of the navy you will be in. What speciality are you planning on being?
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| scribe Newbie United States Joined 4673 days ago 11 posts - 14 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Russian | Message 4 of 8 16 September 2011 at 3:49am | IP Logged |
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If you know you'll be stationed on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific and Indian oceans,
I'd suggest Mandarin. The Chinese navy has been undergoing a great deal of buildup and modernization in the past decade, and could very well be soon spreading its influence and naval capabilities beyond its current sphere. Also, the U.S. Navy and the PLAN have supposedly been exploring opportunities for joint naval exercises, so a knowledge of Mandarin could come in handy there. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| nway Senior Member United States youtube.com/user/Vic Joined 5196 days ago 574 posts - 1707 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean | Message 5 of 8 16 September 2011 at 4:34am | IP Logged |
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These days, pretty much any time the US Navy is mentioned in the press, it's in the context of discussion regarding the rapidly modernizing and increasingly "bold" PLA Navy, what with the Spratly Islands and all. However, this has had the curious effect of making China's maritime neighbors, such as Vietnam and the Philippines, increasingly invaluable to the US's geostrategy in the Pacific sphere. Thus, if you by any chance want to go for a road-less-traveled approach, Vietnamese may be prove to be a unique option, though of course its utility is strictly confined to one small region. Edited by nway on 16 September 2011 at 4:36am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| HMS Senior Member England Joined 4888 days ago 143 posts - 256 votes Speaks: English* | Message 6 of 8 16 September 2011 at 4:47am | IP Logged |
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Any usefulness of a foreign language in the navy will be wholly dependant on your role onboard. Unless your role is in electronic warfare / surveillance then the only real advantage, in terms of aiding your career / effectiveness would be your ability to act as a liason officer during time alongside in a country whose language you are familiar with.
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| Antisrcen Newbie Canada Joined 4389 days ago 10 posts - 13 votes Speaks: English* | Message 7 of 8 27 May 2012 at 1:41am | IP Logged |
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It'd make sense at first to go with the language that would be used most in that area,
but remember that everyone else will be thinking the same thing. So it would be smart of you to find out what major language is being ignored most and then go from there; if you're the only one on the ship that can speak a specific Arabic dialect, then that'd probably make you more useful than if you knew Mandarin since there'd be so many people studying it already. Make some calls. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| ericblair Senior Member United States Joined 4492 days ago 480 posts - 700 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 8 of 8 01 June 2012 at 12:49am | IP Logged |
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hey christian, I am a veteran of the Navy so I wanted to chime in a bit. Learn a
language you are passionate about and actually want to study. One phrase you will hear over and over is "needs of the Navy." You can get yourself to a very high level in, say, Arabic, but find yourself sent to a destroyer out of San Diego that never gets within a thousand miles of an Arabic speaking country. Pursuing a language you actually enjoy makes more sense personally and professionally. This is because you can still get Foreign Language Proficiency Pay. http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/special-pay/fo reign-language-proficiency- and-proficiency-bonus.html That is just a short link, but if you google the name, you can find out more. We had guys on our ship (and later in units when I was in the Middle East) that could speak the languages we needed to be around. There are no linguist officers (there are crypto's, but that is not the same), so you will always be first and foremost focused on your primary duties and, especially as a junior officer, getting all your qualifications up to par. So, your language skills would definitely go into a bit of a hibernation mode when you first get aboard. All in all, it is great to met someone looking to serve and I wish you the best of luck. To reiterate, follow what interests you most as the Navy is going to get out of you what they want to get out of you, regardless. Haha. May you have fair winds and following seas. 3 persons have voted this message useful |
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