Developing Cultural Fluency at the Defense Language Institute

Courtesy Photo | Logo for Information Warfare Training Command Monterey. (Courtesy U.S. Navy)  

MONTEREY, CA, UNITED STATES

03.29.2019

Courtesy Story

Center for Information Warfare Training

Essay by Seaman Alyson Precie, Information Warfare Training Command Monterey

MONTEREY, Calif. -- In America, almost everyone has a bucket list. That list often includes two goals; traveling the world and learning a new language. These pursuits can enrich our lives and expand our worldview. The proliferation of language-learning apps and the enduring popularity of international tour packages is a testament to our desire for a fresh cultural perspective. Yet, for all our jet-setting tendencies, Americans continue to maintain an international reputation of cultural ignorance. How can this be? To answer that question, we must examine the difference between cultural consumption and cultural fluency.

Culture itself is multifaceted. Surface culture - language, religion, architecture, art, and cuisine - is the visible, tangible manifestation of a peoples’ way of life. Then there is deep culture. Massive in scope and inherently complex, deep culture is comprised of communication and leadership styles, individualism vs. collectivism, attitudes toward time and manners, and the concept of the self. It is the subconscious threads of deep culture that weave the tapestry of what is visible on the surface. Much like a visit to the theater, the aim of cultural consumption is to experience the surface elements of another culture, basking in the novelty before returning to the comfort and familiarity of home. In contrast, cultural fluency is much more complicated than mere knowledge of the immediately apparent. It requires awareness of the hidden forces at play that shape a people’s worldview, and the willingness to face the potentially uncomfortable realization that our most deeply held values are not the default.

Before joining the Navy and studying at the Defense Language Institute (DLI), I considered myself rather culturally savvy. I’d dabbled in foreign languages, visited other countries, and was an enthusiast of multicultural art and literature. Like many, however, I failed to realize that my culture-consumer mindset was lacking in substance and depth. I was still viewing these wonderful, enriching experiences through the lens of my American culture as the default. It is with this mindset that I began my journey in Russian at DLI.

At first, our task seemed relatively straightforward - learn the language quickly and well. I soon came to realize, however, that our mission is far more substantial. In order to be truly effective in our work, we must transcend the bounds of passive cultural consumerism and become culturally fluent. The structure of DLI makes it uniquely suited for this task. Students receive seven hours of daily instruction from native speakers. Many of these instructors were raised in a culture that was, at one time, considered antithetical to core American values. The unique perspective and insights gained from working with them is an indelible part of understanding not only the language, but the underlying beliefs, values, and morals of the culture. Additionally, our learning is bolstered by a robust curriculum of history, geography, and politics. These elements combine to paint a picture of a centuries-old culture wrought from starkly unfamiliar, oftentimes tragic circumstances. Along with opportunities for domestic and international immersions, this multifaceted approach provides DLI students with a breadth and depth of culturally-based language education unrivaled across the globe.

My worldview has changed dramatically during my time at DLI. Although I have always enjoyed reading the morning news, my understanding of world events has been one-dimensional. I examined events as they pertained to my experience as an American citizen, and failed to truly grasp the significance of cultural nuances connecting societies around the globe. Over the course of my studies at DLI, my understanding and interpretation of global developments has begun to deepen necessary for an accurate worldview. Coupled with daily world news discussions, our studies of the history of the Russian people laid bare the intricate system of beliefs, values, and norms that drive global development and change.

My budding understanding of cultural fluency culminated during our month-long immersion in the Russian-speaking city of Daugavpils, Latvia. The scope of this immersion was unlike anything I’d ever experienced in my travels. We lived and worked alongside locals, many of whom were former residents of the Soviet Union. We embarked upon numerous excursions to sites of historical and cultural significance. Each excursion was illuminating and valuable, but the most powerful by far was the site of a mass grave of Holocaust victims. Standing there, I understood - there exists a level of pain experienced and shared by an entire region and its culture. This pain has shaped the worldview and deep culture of that region in a way that is impossible to understand for those who have not lived within the culture. This moving experience left an indelible impression upon me that has forever changed how I see the world.

The process of shifting from cultural consumerism to fluency has not been easy. It has meant facing the reality that my worldview is not shared by all, and that dearly-held values are not necessarily universal. Despite the difficulty, it is a rewarding and invaluable process. By examining my beliefs from an outside perspective, I have gained a clearer picture of the world and my place in it. For me, experiencing other cultures is no longer about simply checking off a bucket list item - it is an integral part of the human experience.

Seaman Alyson Precie is attached to Information Warfare Training Command Monterey.

IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

For more on Information Warfare Training Command Monterey, visit http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt/IWTCmonterey/ and http://www.monterey.army.mil/Service_Units/IWTC_Monterey.html, or find them on Facebook.

With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT is recognized as Naval Education and Training Command’s top learning center for the past three years. Training over 21,000 students every year, CIWT delivers trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

For more news from Center for Information Warfare Training enterprise, visit www.navy.mil/local/cid/, www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt/, www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.

• Date Taken: 03.29.2019
• Date Posted: 03.29.2019 14:37
• Story ID: 316218
• Location: MONTEREY, CA, US