U.S. national security agencies remain woefully short of foreign-language speakers and translators nearly eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks resulted in a war on an enemy that often communicates in relatively obscure dialects, current and former officials say.
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I am in total agreement, and the main problem is translator must have he ability to translate audio as well as written information. We at Tiffin University have an intensive Arabic language program (4 years) for our criminal justice and homeland security majors. It is my opinion that concentraton on written skills is only half of the tools required because understanding the conversation and various types of regional language can be very important intelligence tool as well.
Dr. Amir Soas