Foreign Languages...

[Spud161]

How does an agency evaluate an applicant's ability to speak a foreign language?

Is there anyplace to find out if one would qualify? (like a sample version of a test)

And how important is foreign language proficiency in 1811 applicant evaluations? (I know it probably varies from one agency to another)

Thanks for any help

[DSS1]

Actually it carries a lot of weight these days. If you are fluent in Farsi or Arabic which is what the FBI and CIA are looking for could influence your acceptance in the process. Border Patrol for example tests you on your vocabulary and reading skills in Spanish. Whether you are a native speaker or not you have to take a language test. If you are not a native language speaker you could take a test that examines your ability to learn a language. Right now Arabic and Farsi translators are needed because of the current situation in the Middle East. So if you state that you speak any of these two languages they will probably administered an examination to determine your level of comprehension.

[slimhawks]

I understand that the FBI wants people who have college level reading, writing, and speaking in the foreign language. So you would have the equivalent language skills of the average college student who graduated from Spain etc.
Some of the other agencies may have other or lesser requirements. I think border patrol agents are taught at their academy (FLETC?) and must learn spanish or they don't graduate.

[shane]

LAPD will "heavily" look at you if you speak Arabic. I would take a guess that Russian would be next/second.
Spanish speaking officers are a dime-a-dozen.

--shane

[Group9]

How does an agency evaluate an applicant's ability to speak a foreign language?

Is there anyplace to find out if one would qualify? (like a sample version of a test)

And how important is foreign language proficiency in 1811 applicant evaluations? (I know it probably varies from one agency to another)

Thanks for any help

They give you the test by having you talk with a tester in the language. They then give you a rating, based on vocabulary, grammar, etc. that goes from 1 to 5. Most agencies require a 2+ or 3 and 3 or 3+ is a grade that many native speakers get. In Spanish, for instance, I have only known a few people to score a 4 and I don't know anyone who has scored a 5.

I don't know where to get a sample version of the test. You have to have a working knowledge of the language though. Just what you learned in high school or college will rarely be enough unless you really worked at it.

It is a very good skill to have when applying for an 1811 job. I think most people could guess the ones that would be good to have, but even a kind of weird language can be of value. We have done some Title 3's where the crooks were speaking African dialects. I think one was called Ubu or something like that and we had a lot of trouble finding anyone to translate it for us a few years ago.