Members complete Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training to prepare for NLSC assignments

In January 2015, National Language Service Corps (NLSC) Members in three of its four Regional Chapters chose to participate in a nationwide emergency preparedness initiative known as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

NLSC Members—A Bridge to their Communities

Since the inception of the National Language Service Corps (NLSC), Members have expressed an on-going desire to use their language [skills] for the good of all. The initial call to action challenged Members to be a bridge to their communities, and language speakers nationwide answered the call identifying themselves as ready and willing to serve their government and the global community.

We are recruiting for a specific assignment requiring speakers of several languages

The National Language Service Corps (NLSC) is a one-of-a kind organization that offers citizens with language skills the chance to help communities and the government during times of crises, emergencies and non-emergencies; domestic or abroad. The NLSC is responding to a potential request from a federal agency for interpreters for a five-day national conference. We are currently looking for professional interpreters for the following languages:

- Cambodian
- Indonesian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Lao
- Mongolian
- Portuguese
- Spanish
- Thai
- Vietnamese

This opportunity would require you to become a member of the NLSC. There is no membership fee to join the organization and all members of the NLSC are volunteers but are paid a stipend for any hours worked. This is not a full-time position, but rather an assignment that requires an individual who meets the required qualifications. Below please find the requirements to participate in this conference:

Requirements:

-Experience as a professional interpreter with simultaneous and consecutive skills
- Availability to participate in a 5 day conference during the month of October 2011
- Willingness to travel to Hawaii
- Willingness to be federally hired
- Willingness to take a DLPT test administered by NLSC

Preferable:

- Familiarization with military jargon, diplomatic jargon, subject matter of a nature common with military officers
- Translation skills a plus

NLSC Membership requirements:

- You must be a U.S. citizen
- You must be at least 18 years old
- If you are a male, you must have registered for Selective Service

If you meet the required qualifications listed above and are interested and available to assist as an NLSC language volunteer in the capacity of an interpreter, please apply as soon as possible via our website. The on-line application process includes the option to upload your resume. Please do so when you apply. Also, for EXP, enter 11-31.

Contact/Application Information:

E-mail: recruiting@nlscorps.org
Website: www.NLSCorps.org

Summer Government Language-Related Positions Available in DC Area

Critical Languages Research Analyst Program
Summer 2010

The U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) has several unclassified open source analysis units in the Washington, DC area to conduct research related to national security issues and is looking for undergraduate and graduate student summer research analysts who can conduct native language research on the internet, apply social science research methods to identify social and political trends, and critically analyze and present information.

Students majoring in the following areas are encouraged to apply: Middle Eastern Studies, Persian Studies, South Asian Studies, Asian Studies, African Studies, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Intelligence Studies, National Security Studies, Economics, Political Economy, Cultural Anthropology, Comparative Sociology, Demography, Defense Studies, Social Psychology, Public Policy, History, Political Islam, Nuclear Engineering/Physics, Computer Science/Engineering, Political Geography, Library Science, Geographic Information Systems and other science and technology fields.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Fluency in spoken Arabic (Yemeni dialect), Dari, Farsi, Indonesian, Pashtu, Somali, Turkish or Urdu required. Advanced listening comprehension required. Ability to read target language strongly preferred.
• Excellent research and oral and written communication skills
• Excellent analytic/critical thinking skills
• Advanced internet proficiency
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a close team environment
• Ability to work with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment
• Strong academic background (3.0)
• Completion of at least sophomore year of college by the beginning of summer 2010
• U.S. citizenship required*

*The work performed will involve unclassified research only so there will not be a full security clearance process conducted. However, each selected individual will undergo some security processing. Final selection for the program is contingent upon the successful completion of the security vetting process. The security vetting process will not equate to eligibility for access to classified information and only allows participation in the Critical Languages Summer Research Analyst Program.

COMPENSATION:

This will be a paid position for a 40 hour week for a maximum of 10 weeks. The hourly rate will be commensurate with education and experience. There are no benefits other than free parking. Work location is not easily accessible by public transportation

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Email cover letter detailing your interest in the position and your qualifications to Doris.B.Johnson@ugov.gov. Attach your resume, a writing sample in English (maximum of 5 pages), and the names, telephone numbers and email addresses for two academic references, one of whom must be able to verify your language skills. Please also provide a student copy of your transcript – a download from your institution’s website is acceptable for initial consideration. Application deadline is February 19, 2010.

NOTE: The U.S. Intelligence Community is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a drug-free workplace.

A great NAAAP conference in Denver

We were exhibitors at the August 13-15 annual conference and job fair of the National Association of Asian-American Professionals (the NAAAP) in Denver, and we had a phenomenal response!

Speakers of Mandarin, Catonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Hindi and Indonesian all came by to learn more about us, and several filled out applications on the spot. Two individuals came by with completed applications already in-hand. They had learned of us before the conference, downloaded applications from our web site, filled them out and brought them to our booth.

We also made contact with several companies at the conference who have affinity programs for their heritage speakers, companies who encourage their employees to engage in voluntary service. We hope to build relationships with these affinity programs and reach potential NLSC members we might not otherwise reach.

So don't be surprised to see us at next year's NAAAP conference in San Francisco!

Feedback from Garuda Shield participants

Last week we met Densy, one of three of our Indonesian-speaking Charter Members who participated in Garuda Shield, an international peacekeeping training exercise in Indonesia. We sent these members to work with Pacific Command in order to facilitate communication between Americans and their hosts. During Garuda Shield, NLSC Members helped build a baby care clinic and sanitation facility in Bandung, assisted in field training exercises for peacekeeping missions, and participated in Command-Post exercises coordinating the entire operation.

Yesterday, we spoke with Harry and Shanti, the other two Charter Members, by phone.


Densy (left) and Harry


Shanti in the field

Harry did a lot of interpreting among the military units, among construction workers, and between the military and the public. "I was the bridge," he said. Shanti interpreted in meetings and informal gatherings, and translated newspaper articles. She also assisted with cultural issues ranging from economics to Indonesian traffic. "Everybody I worked with was fabulous ... I loved it!"

We also have feedback from Garuda Shield staff:

• "We don't wan to give (the member) up!"
• "We really need (the member), (the member) is really excellent!
• "(The member) is with the Colonel constantly. (The member) is his right-hand man!"
• "Maybe (the member) can be the one to come back next year!"

So I think we can mark this one a success!

Garuda Shield participant meets the team

We had three of our Charter Members recently return from participating in Garuda Shield, an exercise that the NLSC was involved with in Bandung, Indonesia. All three members speak Indonesian, which was essential for this exercise. One of those members, Densy, was in Arlington last week and met the team. She is pictured below receiving a letter of appreciation from the NSLC's Bill Castan.



More on our participation in Garuda Shield in an upcoming post.


Some of Densy's comments regarding her involvement: "(a project like this is) the least I can do for my country. I went expecting to work and provide a service I felt like I did something for the Indonesians and Americans ... I was told I was indispensable and after having been gone for only a few days, I already have e-mails telling me I’m missed!"

Below are pictures of Densy during Garuda Shield. In the first picture, she is in an exercise briefing. In the second, she takes a break from working with Indonesian U.N. Peacekeepers.

On Training

We want our Charter Members to succeed when they are sent on a task. We offer on-line training tailored to that task. The first activity was an excercise with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. We send three Members, one Russian speaker, one Mandarin speaker and one Marshallese speaker, to help the CDC with its non-English web pages. Training for this included an intro to the CDC as well as basics like security and proper conduct.

Our next major task is to send three Indonesian speakers to participate in Operation Garuda Shield in Indonesia, a military and humanitarian co-ordination exercise with the US Pacific Command and the United Nations.

Since our civilian Members will be working, eating and housed with military staff, we need to make sure that they become familiar with the military culture. So we're creating a course that will explain military traditions, courtesy and etiquette, how to identify someone's rank, and how to adjust to communal military living. All of this is important as we want our Members to have credibility ... We civilians might not recognize that a soldier and a marine are not the same thing, likewise for a ship and a boat, but if we're going to work alongside members of our armed forces, getting these little things right can make a big difference in our success.

Time well spent at the NCOLCTL/ALTA conference

Last week, four of us attended the annual conference of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) and the African Language Teachers Association (ALTA) in Madison, Wisconsin. NCOLCTL's membership includes speakers of several of the languages we're recruiting for, including Swahili, Somali, Hausa, Indonesian and Thai.

The conference had about 300 attendees. A nice size ... as the conference progressed, all the faces became familiar and folks we spoke with would stop by to say "hi" and talk with us some more. Our table was directly behind the conference registration table, and we saw many happy reunions ... clearly this is a close group.

NLSC recruiter Bridget Baker and I were at our recruiting table. We met the Executive Director, Antonia Schleicher, a woman who brings a huge smile with her wherever she goes. Another Bill, our Chief Linguist Dr. Bill Rivers, has been involved with NCOLCTL so he already knew her, and was in the perfect position to introduce us to other attendees.

We had the pleasant surprise of meeting three attendees who are also among NLSC's Charter Members. It's nice that we've reached a point where we and Members can bump into each other at events like this. Linda, who works with Bill, speaks Swahili and was thrilled to have a chance to not only speak with others in Swahili, but to attend conference sessions conducted in Swahili.

Bill Rivers spoke in one of the conference sessions on US Language Policy Attitudes: 2000-2008. Despite the policy controversies about the English-only movement, bilingual education, the growing numbers of Americans who speak minimal English, and language and national security, there have been only sporadic studies of the state of representative public opinion on these issues. Bill discussed this study, which compares data from two surveys. (He co-authored the research with John Robinson, University of Maryland and Paul Harwood, University of North Florida.)

This week, it's on to the National Chinese Language Conference in Chicago..

New marketing campaign begins

We've just launched a new market campaign in print and online media.  We're focusing on five of our ten target languages ... Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Hindi and Indonesian.  A multicultural marketing firm helped us identify specific newspapers and web site to target.  When appropriate, the ads are in the specific language, otherwise they are in English.  

This campaign is scheduled to run for ten weeks.