Photo By Sgt. DJ Borden | Spc. Joshua Williams stands beside a Japanese troop while observing the U.S. conduct...... read more read more
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YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, Wash. - The ability to speak more than one language is a difficult skill to master, and learning a new language in adulthood is not something many people accomplish.
Spc. Joshua Williams, a Washington National Guardsman with A Company, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, achieved just that. He was able to learn two different languages by attending the Defense Language Institute.
In 2005, Williams decided to join the Army National Guard and become a linguist. Coming from a family of service members and always having an interest in other languages it seemed only natural for Williams to choose that career path.
Before enlisting into the National Guard, Williams studied many languages including French, Spanish and German. He was introduced to the idea of becoming a linguist in the military by one his high school teachers.
When he first attended DLI he learned Mandarin Chinese. Completing the training was no easy task for Williams, but he used his love of languages to continue and finish successfully.
“It’s very fast-paced and very demanding,” he said. “I really enjoyed the language itself. Getting acclimated to the pace, it’s certainly no cakewalk.”
After graduating from DLI, he received the opportunity to travel to China for a two-month immersion tour with fellow students studying Chinese, where he was able to put his new-found skills to the test.
“I found the language skills to be invaluable there,” he said. “I did a lot of the translation.”
Williams said he was one of the few individuals on the tour able to conduct full-length conversations.
“I find language learning personally enriching,” said Williams. “I think it’s a great way to make sure that I’m developing and growing my mind. It’s not fun all the time, but it’s something that, for me, is measurable. I can say I’m not just letting myself waste away.”
Williams works as the command language program manager for his battalion. When he’s not conducting missions he maintains linguist records, sets up testing for the Defense Language Proficiency Test and assists in hosting language immersion courses.
When he is not working as a linguist for the Army, Williams spends his spare time tending to his grandmother’s 10 acres of land and playing video games on his computer.
Learning these new languages was a way for Williams to break out of his shell and feel more confident.
“In English, I’m not very talkative,” he admits. “As soon as we start getting into Chinese or Japanese, I become much more talkative.”
Williams attended DLI a second time earlier in the year to learn Japanese and soon after completing the course he was able to put his new skills to the test for Operation Rising Thunder 2014. The annual training exercise in Yakima Training Center, Washington, is conducted with U.S. and Japanese forces. He worked for the 7th Infantry Division and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force as an interpreter between the forces.
The U.S. Soldiers and Japanese troops relied on Williams’ language skills to communicate with one another.
“When it comes to giving pointers and constructive criticism between each of our forces we’ve got to tread water lightly,” said Spc. Kyle Clark, infantryman with 7th ID. “We don’t want to offend each other.”
Clark said that overcoming the cultural differences was difficult for both groups and having someone like Williams there played a major role in the training exercise.
“One of the things I really like about having these language skills is when there’s a need for communication I can come in and bridge that gap and I think that’s worthwhile,” Williams said.
Williams noted that being located in the Pacific region makes knowing Japanese all the more important. He believes it’s necessary to communicate and build positive relationships with the Asian nations throughout the Pacific, especially because they are near Washington.
Having military training in languages gave Williams an advantage over many who attempt alternative methods of learning.
“The amount of one-on-one time and exposure in a high school or college course really doesn’t compare,” he said. “You have to really want to be fluent and have an idea of what attaining fluency is like to be able to get there at a college level.”
Williams has no plans to change his career. He said he couldn’t imagine himself doing anything else, but interpreting. He hopes when his military career ends he can find a profession that uses his language abilities.
Williams’ current focus is to become more proficient in both Chinese and Japanese. He is content he’s found a way to take his passion and make it into a career as well as a learning experience
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2014 17:45 |
| Story ID: | 142619 |
| Location: | YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, WA, US |
| Hometown: | OLYMPIA, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 152 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
This work, A Soldier's love of language, by SGT DJ Borden, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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