Language and the Foreign Service Register

I speak a few languages, though only one really well (yes, that would be English).  However, I’ve been figuring out the best way to brush up on my current default second language because of the bonus points it would give my (low, but passing!) FSOA score.  While State says it best, I’ll summarize the best I can, with information that is current as of today (March 19, 2009).*

If you can pass 2/5 in any dialect of Arabic, you get an extra 0.5
If you can pass 2/5 in any other Critical/Super Critical Needs Language**, you get an extra 0.4
If you can pass 3/5 in any other language, you get an extra 0.17

The ‘catch’ of getting bonus language points through a critical needs language is that you have to serve in the pertinent country: once before achieving tenure, and another after. If one doesn’t pass the language phone test (did I mention it’s a phone test?), one can usually retest. Also, testing in different languages is allowed, however, we will only be allowed to receive bonus points for one.

So here’s where I have to make a decision. I have, at one point in my life, studied Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic (Egyptian). Hebrew is my strongest foreign language, I spent six months studying in Israel during college (two months intensive language study, known as an Ulpan ), and another two before I moved to DC (another Ulpan). I can understand and speak well enough to get along in a conversation, but I read and write like I’m seven years old. My ‘current affairs’ vocabulary is almost non-existent because we never talked about them. However, I can talk food and travel like nobodies business. If I were to test in Hebrew, I would have to strengthen my vocab and learn how to talk about things an FSO is expected to talk about.

I’m a better reader and writer in Spanish, and my vocabulary is a little stronger there, mainly because my formal study took me farther in the language and because I grew up in San Diego. I feel comfortable going to restaurants where English is rarely heard and ordering for my friends. However, I have a problem with Spanish. It is no longer my default second language. If I really concentrate and think carefully while forming my sentences, I can usually speak well enough to be understood. This is rare. Normally, Hebrew kicks in, especially on simple words, and my speech usually ends up being a horribly confusing amalgamation of the two language. Most people can make sense out of Spanglish. I’ve never met anyone who could decipher Spanbrew, but I bet it wouldn’t be too much of a challenge for David Broza.

Then there’s Arabic. I studied Egyptian dialect Arabic because my teacher was from Egypt. The classes were in the evening at the main campus UCSD Extension Center, and were several years ago. However, I know that if I started now, and really applied myself, I could pick up some semblance of proficiency. Languages tend to come back to me pretty easily if I have a foundation in them, and the grammatical structures, pronunciation, and some basic vocabulary, are very similar to Hebrew. They are similar enough that when I took notes in my Arabic class, I found it beneficial to do so in Hebrew. Additionally, I would not mind serving a post in Cairo – it would probably be interesting. However, continuing in Egyptian Arabic will be more challenging right now simply because I have no idea where to find a teacher. Also, this is my weakest foreign language – there is definitely the risk that I might spend all of my time focusing on this language and fail, where I could strengthen Hebrew and pass.

Right now, I’m leaning towards Hebrew. It’s my strongest foreign language and I feel most comfortable speaking it, even if my vocabulary needs work. Also, all signs are pointing towards a hiring blitz over at State (more on this later) in the next year or so, therefore, it might not matter if my score is on the lower side.

I got an online subscription to Sha’ar La’Mathil to help expand my vocabulary and my reading skills. It’s a weekly newspaper published by the Israeli Education Ministry in simple Hebrew. It’s a pretty good teaching tool, and I like that the online version has a feature that allows you to listen as someone reads one of the articles. I can always understand the article when I listen to it, but reading is painfully slow.

For the time being, I plan on taking the language test once I pass my security clearances. That should give me plenty of time to bulk up my vocabulary and practice with my Hebrew speaking friends.

* By the time you read this, this info may be outdated. Please check with State in order to be sure.

** Super Critical Needs: Arabic (Modern Standard, Egyptian, and Iraqi), Chinese (Mandarin), Dari, Farsi, Hindi, and Urdu.
Critical Needs: Arabic (forms other than Modern Standard, Egyptian, and Iraqi), Azerbaijani, Bengali, Chinese (Cantonese), Kazakh, Korean, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Russian, Tajik, Turkish, Turkmen, and Uzbek.