I think you are mistaken about the desperate need for Arabic speakers and translaters. Your opinion is at odds with our intelligence agencies and military.

Here read this link:



Lack of Arabic Translators Hurting U.S.
Shortage of Arabic Translators in Iraq Has Made It Harder for U.S. Soldiers to Protect Themselves
by The Associated Press
ABC News
November 19, 2003

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031119_102.html

WASHINGTON - The shortage of Arabic translators in Iraq has made it harder for U.S. soldiers to protect themselves, jeopardized interrogations of suspected al-Qaida terrorists in U.S. custody in Cuba and left almost no one to defend American policy on Arab television stations.

Despite an aggressive effort to recruit Arabic speakers in the two years since the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. government still suffers from a shortage that is hampering military, diplomatic and intelligence operations in the Middle East.


Solutions seem hard to come by. Arabic and other languages of the Middle East are very different from English. It can take non-native speakers several years to learn and speak it comfortably.

"It's easier to train someone to fly an F-14 than it is to speak Arabic," said Kevin Hendzel, a spokesman for the American Translators Association.

Critics contend the United States simply hasn't put enough effort into correcting the deficiency. Britain, for example, gives extensive training to a higher percentage of the soldiers it sends to Iraq.

"This is such a critical challenge that we have, this battle for the minds of this very important part of the world," said Edward P. Djerejian, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria and Israel who speaks Arabic himself. "We're simply not there."

The government didn't begin aggressively recruiting Arabic speakers until after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, carried out by Arab extremists from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. Congress criticized U.S. terrorism-fighting agencies for missing the growing threat of an attack. Many problems stemmed from agencies not sharing information, but the shortage of Arabic linguists may also have played a role.

The FBI has acknowledged it needs more experienced translators of all languages but especially Middle Eastern. CIA officials say they need native Arabic speakers familiar with foreign cultures to blend in overseas. The armed forces also need Arabic speakers who understand military jargon and are in good enough shape to keep up with troops.

American troops on duty in Iraq often speak little if any Arabic. They must shout in English or gesture their way through dangerous confrontations.

You may be able to receive preferential hiring at civilian companies.

The Army 09L Interpreter/Translator program is an opportunity for speakers of Middle Eastern languages. Learn more about this program by visiting their site. There is an acute shortage of Middle Eastern Language translaters.





Interpreter/Translator (09L)


Enlisted Officer Active Duty Army Reserve
The nation's defense depends on information from foreign language newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasts and other sources. Therefore, it's very important that some members of the Army be able to read and understand the many languages of the world. Nowhere is this more important than in the Middle Eastern countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently the Army needs Middle-Eastern language speaking individuals to serve as Interpreter/Translators and help with the rebuilding efforts. Individuals qualified for this program will have an eight-year commitment.

The Interpreter/Translator is primarily responsible for converting written or spoken foreign languages into English, and they specialize in a number of Middle-Eastern languages. Some of your duties as a Interpreter/Translator may include:
Preparing non-technical translations into the target language and performing sight translations from a target language into English
Perform oral interpretation functions.
Assisting a military contracting officer with a local purchase to providing interpretation support at a military traffic control point.
You may even be required to assist security personnel in screening the local population at military checkpoints.
Other duties may include providing interpretation assistance for the Public Affairs Office (PAO) during local media events and translation of local newspapers or pamphlets.

Requirements
Training
Helpful Skills
Related Civilian Jobs


Proficient in one or more of the following required target languages:
Arabic-Modern Standard
Arabic-Gulf-Iraqi
Arabic-Egyptian
Arabic-Jordanian
Arabic-Syrian
Arabic-Lebanese
Arabic-Yemeni
Arabic-Sudanese
Arabic-Maghrebi
Arabic-Algerian
Arabic-Libyan
Arabic-Moroccan
Arabic-Tunisian
Pushtu/Pashto/Pachto
Pushtu-Afghan
Kurdish
Kurdish-Behdini (Kurmanji)
Kurdish-Sorani
Persian-Afghan (Dari)
Persian-Iranian (Farsi)

Oh BTW the principal is Danielle Salzberg who is Jewish. This is one of 60 NYC public schools that emphasize a specific language and culture.Arabic is the language most sought after in our government and intelligence and takes years to become fluent. This is not a religious school.

there's sam picking flowers, waving bugs out of her hair...lalalalaflowerpowermannnnn.
That school will not be a religious while ms. abu bu is gone.
This was a concerted effort by a whole lot of people...and the idea that there needs to be a fundamentalist school in Brooklyn, N.Y. is just a friggin' shame.
NY has schools that teach arabic , schools that have culture clubs etc...
How about a Brooklyn public school that promises graduates?
A Brooklyn public school that is modernized, acredited with competent teachers!
That's all that's really needed....learning languages really starts in High School and Brooklyn offers plenty.
Of course you don't give a shit about Brooklyn dahling, you have your head high up in the sky nose up and you are just blinded by the sun or something...

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