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How the British military became a champion for language learning
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June 6, 2016 9.44am EDT
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<h3 class="">Author</h3>
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<a href="http://theconversation.com/profiles/wendy-ayres-bennett-267691" rel="author">
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Wendy Ayres-Bennett
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Professor of French Philology and Linguistics, University of Cambridge
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<h3 class="">Disclosure statement</h3>
<p><span>Wendy Ayres-Bennett does not work for, consult, own
shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would
benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations
beyond the academic appointment above.</span></p>
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<p>When an army deploys in a foreign country, there are clear
advantages if the soldiers are able to speak the local language or
dialect. But what if your recruits are no good at other languages? In
the UK, where language learning in schools and universities is facing a <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/language_trends_survey_2016_0.pdf">real crisis</a>, the British army began to see this as a serious problem.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.publicpolicy.cam.ac.uk/pdf/value-of-languages">a new report on the value of languages</a>,
my colleagues and I showcased how a new language policy instituted last
year within the British Army, was triggered by a growing appreciation
of the risks of language shortages for national security.</p>
<p>Following the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military sought
to implement language skills training as a core competence. Speakers of
other languages are encouraged to take examinations to register their
language skills, whether they are language learners or speakers of
heritage or community languages.</p>
<p>The UK Ministry of Defence’s <a href="http://www.da.mod.uk/Colleges-Business-Units/JSCSC/Defence-Centre-for-Languages-and-Culture">Defence Centre for Language and Culture</a>
also offers training to NATO standards across the four language skills –
listening, speaking, reading and writing. Core languages taught are
Arabic, Dari, Farsi, French, Russian, Spanish and English as a foreign
language. Cultural training that provides regional knowledge and
cross-cultural skills is still embryonic, but developing fast.</p>
<h2>Cash incentives</h2>
<p>There are two reasons why this is working. The change was directed by
the vice chief of the defence staff, and therefore had a high-level
champion. There are also financial incentives for army personnel to have
their linguistic skills recorded, ranging from £360 for a lower-level
western European language, to £11,700 for a high level, operationally
vital linguist. Currently any army officer must have a basic language
skill to be able to command a sub unit.</p>
<img alt="" src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/124640/width754/image-20160531-1946-advw1m.jpg">
<span class="">A British army sergeant visits a school in Helmand, Afghanistan.</span>
<span class=""><a class="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/defenceimages/6285972075/sizes/l">Defence Images/flickr.com</a>, <a class="" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
<p>We should not, of course, overstate the progress made. The numbers of
Ministry of Defence linguists for certain languages, including Arabic,
are still precariously low and, according to <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-02-19/27331">recent statistics</a>,
there are no speakers of Ukrainian or Estonian classed at level three
or above in the armed forces. But, crucially, the organisational culture
has changed and languages are now viewed as an asset.</p>
<h2>Too fragmented</h2>
<p>The British military’s new approach is a good example of how an
institution can change the culture of the way it thinks about languages.
It’s also clear that language policy can no longer simply be a matter
for the Department for Education: champions for language both within and
outside government are vital for issues such as national security.</p>
<p>This is particularly important because of the fragmentation of
language learning policy within the UK government, despite an informal
cross-Whitehall language focus group.</p>
<p>Experience on the ground illustrates the value of cooperation when it
comes to security. For example, in January, the West Midlands Counter
Terrorism Unit urgently needed a speaker of a particular language
dialect to assist with translating communications in an ongoing
investigation. The MOD was approached and was able to source a speaker
within another department.</p>
<p>There is a growing body of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-costs-to-the-uk-of-language-deficiencies-as-a-barrier-to-uk-engagement-in-exporting">research</a> demonstrating the <a href="http://example.com/">cost to business</a>
of the UK’s lack of language skills. Much less is known about their
value to national security, defence and diplomacy, conflict resolution
and social cohesion. Yet language skills have to be seen as an asset,
and appreciation is needed across government for their wider value to
society and security.</p>
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