Army Job Description and Qualification

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz.– The Army has created a new "Translator Aid" Military Occupation Specialty (MOS), which will be staffed by Individual Ready Reservists (IRR).

The Department of the Army’s G-1 has appointed military intelligence as the personnel proponent for the new Individual Ready Reserve military occupational specialty 09L, translator aide.

G-1 determined that the skill sets for 09Ls are closely related to the military intelligence branch, said Sgt. 1st Class Jon Schweitzer, lifecycle manager and language-issues action officer for the Office of the Chief, Military Intelligence.

Maj. Gen. James “Spider” Marks, commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca, will oversee the military intelligence proponent of the new MOS, Schweitzer said. The MOS officially became a military intelligence MOS in January.

Currently the Army is recruiting Arabic, Dari and Pashto speakers, Schweitzer said. “If necessary, further languages could be authorized based on operational needs of the Army,” he said.

The translator aides will be chosen from IRR forces and from Soldiers who can reclass and plan on joining IRR after the end of their time in service, Schweitzer said.

All other requirements have not been determined, but include:

• A score of at least 2/2/2 in language proficiency and demonstrated proficiency in English;
• May be up to 40 years old;
• Pass national agency check and local agency check;
• Must be a permanent U.S. resident;
• Must pass military entry processing station screening physical;
• Must meet height and weight standards;
• Must meet physical fitness standards prior to graduating.

In the field, 09Ls will be “providing translation and interpretation support as deemed necessary by the commander,” Schweitzer said. “One example might be translating a local newspaper or proofreading a contract for precise and correct language usage. Another example would be assisting a purchasing officer with face-to-face translation on the price of goods with a local seller.”

Soldiers will be called on as determined by DA (Department of the Army), Schweitzer said. “Some may be called fairly quickly to support ongoing operations,” he said.

Once qualified, 09Ls who are placed on active-duty status will receive Foreign Language Proficiency Pay based on the results of their Defense Language Proficiency Test, Schweitzer said. Also, translator aides may be eligible for accelerated possibility of citizenship.

Any applicant who can speak, read or write Arabic, Dari and Pashto is desired, Schweitzer said. “The ethnic background or method an applicant learned the language does not matter,” he said.

Training must consist of at least 12 weeks of basic training and advanced individual training (AIT) combined as per U.S. Code, Schweitzer said.

Right now, the Army is looking at Fort Jackson, S.C., for basic training and possibly advanced individual training, Schweitzer said. Also under consideration for AIT locations are the Defense Language Institute's foreign-language training centers at Monterey, Calif., and Fort Huachuca. Contract Arab linguists will be hired to assist in the AIT portion of training, Schweitzer said.

Currently the proposed career field model for the 09L MOS gives Soldiers an E-1 rank upon enlistment with an Arabic DLPT score of 3/3, Schweitzer said. Soldiers will receive E-2 at completion of basic training and E-3 at completion of AIT, if eligible. After completion of two years and pending DLPT score, Soldiers will be pinned with E-4. Once a Soldier is an E-5 and has the appropriate clearances and citizenship, their MOS rolls over into a 97L MOS, a translator/interpreter. From there, Soldiers will proceed along the 97L career model.