EDITORIAL – FBI not proficient in Arabic

The FBI is seriously lacking in Arabic proficiency. According to The Washington Post, five… The FBI is seriously lacking in Arabic proficiency. According to The Washington Post, five years after Arabic-speaking terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, a mere 1 percent of the FBI’s 12,000 agents have any familiarity with the Arabic language.

Actually, familiarity may not even be the most accurate description of the FBI “Arabic speakers,” as knowledge of only a few Arabic words would typically garner at least a zero on the proficiency test, enough to satisfy the grade of “proficient.”

This 1 percent measures out to 33 agents, to be exact. Of those 33, FBI statistics show that none of them actually work in the sections of the bureau that coordinate international terror investigations.

Therefore, the Bureau, which is currently heavily involved in anti-terrorism efforts that are primarily focused on Arabic speaking terrorists, depends upon specially trained linguists to translate documents and interviews crucial in investigations.

While we can in no way ignore the importance of international translators and linguistics specialists, as a country we are at a disadvantage when the agents carrying out investigations are not familiar with the language they are working with.

Investigations often require reading between the lines and searching through the rhetoric of a document or video. There are variations in tone and connotation that can easily be lost through translation; thus the FBI could possibly be at a disadvantage when non-Arabic speaking agents review translated materials.

The FBI has acknowledged the importance of having Arabic speaking agents and has taken several steps to mend the problem, including the implementation of a foreign instruction program that gives agents an opportunity to take Arabic classes. But it also admits that it is very difficult to recruit foreign-language-speaking agents to the FBI, as all agents must be U.S. citizens and undergo extensive background checks, which can be more difficult for applicants with ties to foreign nations.

The FBI’s struggle to find Arabic translators and agents may reflect upon the American education system and society in general. Multilingualism is not a high priority in American education, and Arabic is rarely among the few languages offered at most high schools nationwide.

Even colleges, including Pitt, are lacking in their Arabic course offerings. Pitt does not have a Middle Eastern Studies department. Although it does offer Arabic courses in levels one through four as instructed classes, and levels five and six as independent-study courses, the limited amount of Arabic courses offered to Pitt students does not compare to the breadth of courses available in other languages.

Never one to ignore an issue that could jeopardize national security, President Bush recently proposed a “National Security Language Initiative,” which will be aimed at encouraging more instruction of “critical” languages in American elementary schools, secondary schools and universities.

This proposal will hopefully be the first of many steps to incorporate Arabic and other non-Western languages into the curriculums of schools nationwide. We may have a long way to go, as language is not the most valued subject at most schools, but an increase in the number of Arabic-speaking citizens will benefit American security and society in the future.