How U.S. Military Linguists Learn Languages Fast

So how do linguists in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy learn the language skills they need to do their jobs? That is precisely what I wanted to find out, so I reached out to two graduates of the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California: Elle and Jack.

This video details the incredibly intense programmes these service members complete, including interesting techniques like “iso-immersion” and “scream & scribble”. While only a select few can attend DLI, there are some powerful principles in this video that ALL language learners can apply. Hooah!

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📚 VIDEOS & RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Live Demo! Olly Learns Italian in 90 days [Playlist]

GLOSS (Global Language Online Support System)

DLAB Practice and Skills Test Study Guide: 300 DLAB Practice Questions with Explanations

DLI Accent Libraries:

✍🏼 CORRECTIONS:

DLI trains 3,500 students per year, not 350,000 as stated in the video!

In the language chart, it should read "Hindi", NOT "Hindu". Our apologies for the typo.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro
00:55 - US Defense
02:47 - The School
04:49 - The Test
07:17 - The Language
10:03 - The Instructor
11:50 - The Class
13:30 - The First Lesson
18:32 - The DLI Method
21:14 - What’s the Goal?
24:54 - Immersion
26:41 - Simulations
27:27 - Going Deeper
29:12 - The Schedule
31:06 - Language Day

[UrbnNinj]

"7 hours of class a day, 2 hours of homework, and an hour of study, five days a week" Yeah I don't care what "technique" they're using to learn... the time spent is probably the biggest factor.

[coolbrotherf]

Having studied Russian, Japanese, and Korean, I can't imagine having to learn any of those in 64 weeks. Very impressed with anyone who can stick out something like that.

[patd.]

I studied Italian and on making my first trip to Italy. I was traveling on a train to Rome, when a Japanese girl entered my train compartment and asked me a question in Italian…it was my very first time actually speaking Italian in Italy…I answered her…and we went on to have a great conversation together in a language that was not our own native languages. I will never forget how amazing that felt…the world changed in my mind!!!

[Ammo]

One of my uncles grew up in the Bronx, he spoke English, Italian, and some Yiddish...In WWII he ended working as an interpreter in North Africa and Sicily, he then learned German, then Japanese, then after 20+ years in the US Army he learned Vietnamese. He had a remarkable ability to pickup on languages.

[roberttoms]

The quickest path to learning a language is total immersion. It is paramount that you ONLY speak the target language. You CANNOT use your native tongue. Remember, the greatest obstacle to learning a language is already knowing one.

[mama_tao]

My dad was almost fluent in Arabic by the time he came back from jordan, he was there for a year and a half. He has some of the language but he can still have a deep conversation with his Jordanian friends in Arabic. It’s really impressive, not a lot of people expect a Mexican guy to speak more Arabic then Spanish.

[lilychisholm]

One of my highschool teachers was in this program for spanish. The way he described it was insane, it sounded so so rigorous. He learned spanish entirely in like six months

[lukenielsen]

As a former LDS missionary and US military veteran that studied at DLI, I can attest that the language courses are intense and effective if you apply yourself and have some skills.

[TheRozylass]

Elle is my daughter! She loves everything Korean and enjoyed her experiences there. I got to visit her while she was stationed in South Korea; it's a wonderful place. Great video!

[GWGuitarStudio]

I studied German at DLI in the late Eighties. Here was their secret: daily testing and assessment. They’d give you lessons, tons of homework, and a test every morning on the previous day’s work. For us Air Force troops, anything under an 88 was a failing grade. Imagine a school where a “B” is a failing grade! If you failed two days in a row, you washed out. If that happened, they made you a cook or another career. Motivation was high! Throughout the course, they cranked the rigor. At first, they’d give you 50 vocabulary words to memorize daily. By the end of the course, it was 300 words to memorize DAILY! The DLI prepared me to get through college and grad school.

[comfortablynumb]

I learned Spanish quickly by moving to Costa Rica and finding a girlfriend. I moved in with her family and I was fluent in a couple months. Everyone in town was shocked. Now I surprise Spanish speaking people in the states all the time by striking up a conversation in Spanish.
I miss Costa Rica, it's a beautiful country with lots of awesome people.

[e-genieclimatique]

In brief:
The video is about the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California, where the US military trains its personnel in foreign languages. The DLI offers an intensive language learning program that lasts between 36 to 64 weeks, depending on the complexity of the language. The video provides an in-depth look at the training process, the daily schedule, and the experiences of the students.

Here's a summary of the main points:

1. **Admission**: To qualify for the linguist job in the military, candidates must pass the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB), a test that assesses their ability to learn new languages. The test is based on a made-up language to ensure fairness.

2. **Language Assignment**: After basic training, recruits are assigned a language based on their test scores and the military's current needs. They don't necessarily get to choose the language they want to learn.

3. **Training**: The training is extremely intensive. Students spend up to a year and a half immersed in their chosen language. The instruction is initially in English, but as students progress, teachers use less English and eventually switch to teaching entirely in the target language.

4. **Instructors**: The instructors are either civilian native speakers or highly educated military language instructors. They come from over 90 countries.

5. **Classroom Experience**: Classes are held from Monday to Friday, with six hours of language learning each day. The course is divided into three semesters, each focusing on a different theme such as history, geography, or culture. The instruction includes grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension work.

6. **Self-Study**: Students are expected to do a lot of self-study, including memorizing vocabulary words, making recordings of themselves speaking the language, and transcribing recordings.

7. **Immersion**: The DLI has an isolation immersion facility where students can live for up to three days, interacting in an environment where only their new language is understood. They also have simulations to prepare them for real-world situations.

8. **Assessment**: To graduate, students must reach level two, which means being able to understand the gist of a conversation or accurately pick out facts from a news broadcast. Some jobs require a higher level of understanding.

9. **Advice**: The video ends with advice from former students, who emphasize the importance of finding something to love about the language and appreciating the unique opportunity to learn a language intensively.

The video also mentions some resources available to the public, including the Global Language Online Support System (GLOSS) and a practice DLAB test available on Amazon.

[albusvoltavern]

Military specialist and technical training is absolutely insane. They manage to teach several years worth of knowledge in a couple months.

[honeydew]

These videos about how different groups of people learn languages are so interesting, I'm really enjoying this series!

[DeadeyeJim]

DLI is where I first learned how smart I wasnt. Hardest thing I ever attempted. First thing I ever utterly failed. Respect.

[mangelwurzel]

1965, DLIWC, Monterey, CA. Day one, hour one, minute one of Chinese Mandarin instruction, the head of the department enters the classroom and starts pounding his fist on the table, saying in a loud voice 這個是什麼? over and over until we dumbfounded students started to repeat it back to him. When he was satisfied that we were at least repeating it semi-intelligibly he stopped, changed the phrase, pointed with his index finger at the table and said
這個是桌子! We got the idea and recited back to him as best as we could. From that day onward, whenever I hear someone say, "What is this?" I have to stifle the urge to blurt out "This is a table!"

[bfg]

In the early 80’s I had a girlfriend who joined the Air Force as a linguist. After basic training she spent 6 months at Lackland AFB in Texas doing a full immersion Russian course. For 6 months they spent 5 days per week on a section of the base where she said they were only allowed to speak Russian from day one. They were forced to learn Russian just to function.

[Squeedow]

I learned the Czech language in 1985 at DLI. My sister and I eventually flew to the Czech Republic. I was shocked when the Czechs understood what I was saying! It was wonderful.

[castro]

My brother studied French from Alliance Francaise. The did a similar thing, the instructor spoke in French the moment they stepped in. They know you are beginner so they did a lot of body language to make you understand but never used English in a sentence. They did movie days where they watch movies and review them, game days when they play children games, all the while only speaking in french. Helped him a lot and he learnt french enough to have a conversation within 6 months.

[tominmo]

I was at DLI Monterey in 1971 for Japanese and 1981 for Chinese Mandarin. Back then the level 4 courses were 47 weeks. I didn't have to hope I got the language I wanted, because it was written into my contract that I would be enlisting for training in that specific language, both times. Of course if I flunked out, the agreement was null and void, and the Army could assign me as they thought best. My DLAB score was 150. There is no secret to learning languages when it is your full-time job for 11 months. Lots and lots of hard work.